Insideout and upside down
by quiet-heart
Summary: This is a response to a reader's challenge. Mac is about to meet a very special lady who is about to turn his world insideout, upside down, and round and round and round. Chapter 35 up for review. Story completed.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: this is in response to a challenge by Nemi Jade. Enjoy and, as always, feedback is always welcome._

**Chapter 1**

It was a bright, beautiful day in New York as Mac entered the café and the waitress, Kate, called out a greeting.

"The usual?" she asked, handing him a glass of orange juice as he sat down at the counter.

"Please and thank you," Mac said, smiling over his juice.

"Oatmeal and brown sugar, Charlie!" Kate called out to the cook. He bellowed back an acknowledgement. "How are you this morning?" she asked Mac.

"Ah, same old, same old," he said, smiling. "You?"

"Living," she said, smiling back. About two years ago, Kate and a handful of other patrons, including Mac, had been involved in a shoot-out in the café and Kate had been one of the victims shot when someone had pulled a gun upon recognizing Mac as a cop out for his daily run. One of the people involved in the whole fiscal had been Kate's then-boyfriend, who had been a forger and was now doing time in jail, thanks to Mac and his people.

"Hey, Kate!" Charlie called.

"Yeah?" she called back.

"You seen Randy yet? Them bones ain't gonna hang around forever!" Charlie called.

"Knowing her, she'll show up soon; she always does. She's probably running late this morning," Kate said.

"Who's Randy?" Mac asked, curious.

"Miranda, but everyone calls her Randi. She's really cool and she's got a dog by the name of Fabio. He's butt-ugly, as far as dogs go, but Randi dotes on him and Charlie always saves the bones for him," Kate explained as she neatly slid Mac's bowl of oatmeal in front of him, complete with spoon and a copy of that day's newspaper.

Charlie chuckled and said, "Randi's a good kid, missing a few screws, but she's a good kid."

"Are you _sure_ about the missing screws part?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow. Charlie just chuckled.

Outside, a large truck pulled up to a store across the street and the two drivers started unloading the truck via a mechanical lift. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside and Mac looked up in time to see someone running down the street.

"Stop, police!" someone yelled, followed by the oddest baying sound Mac had ever heard, and the runner glanced back enough that Mac knew the guy was running from the cops. He immediately bolted from his seat to assist when the man suddenly did a face plant.

_What the heck?_ Mac thought, going outside in time to see a small dog, complete with collar and dragging leash, crouched down in front of the man and growling. The man was looking at the dog with something close to growing horror. Mac couldn't blame him; the dog looked like it had a bulldog mix in it but it had the longest ears he'd ever seen in a dog. It was also missing one eye and a back leg and it's belly was nearly touching the ground. Mac was sure it was one of the ugliest dogs he'd ever seen in his life.

Just then, a pair of beat cops caught up to them, huffing and puffing.

"Good boy, Fab, you got 'im, but I know Randi isn't going to be too happy with you bolting on her like that again," one cop said as his partner cuffed the runner and read him his rights.

"You know this dog?" Mac asked incredulously.

"Yeah, that's Fabio. He belongs to Randi, who lives in the area and, I'll tell ya, man, this dog loves to run, so when jackass here decided to run for it, Fabio happened to be nearby and just took off right after this guy," the officer explained. "I thought I was fast but Fabio here, he may be missing a leg but he makes me look slow."

_Fabio?_ Mac thought incredulously, staring at the dog, who simply plopped on it's butt and started panting.

Just then, a woman with long, curly black hair with the sides pulled up in a fancy knot, complete with gold hair sticks, wearing a backless red Chinese top, complete with mandarin collar, black stripped pants, sunglasses, small backpack on her back, and brown knee-high lace-up high-heeled boots, ran up to them. Mac thought she was really quite pretty and was amazed she could even run in those boots of hers. She, too, was breathing hard.

"Fabio, you are the love of my life, baby, but really, you know better than to chase after bad guys like that. One of these days, sugar, you are going to get seriously hurt," she huffed, crouching down to the dog, who wiggled faster than a vibrator as she rubbed his ears affectionately. This was obviously Randi.

She picked him up, cooing affectionately when, suddenly, there was a loud crash from across the street. Heads snapped around to spot the two drivers and their load now all over the street. It looked like one of them hadn't been paying attention and had missed the loading ramp.

"You guys okay?" Randi called.

"Yeah, yeah, we're okay, ma'am," one driver called back. She flashed him a smile and turned away in time to miss seeing the same driver nearly have another accident. Mac's eyebrows shot up.

"Randi?" one cop said patiently.

"Hmm?"

"Go inside and get Fab his bones before you cause another accident, please."

Randi just shrugged good-naturedly and smiled, heading inside the café, Fabio in her arms.

"You guys going to be okay?" Mac asked the two officers.

"Yes, sir. We'll be just fine," one cop replied. His partner had already radioed Dispatch for a pick-up so Mac left them to their jobs and went back inside to finish his breakfast.

Seated at the counter, Randi enjoyed her coffee while Fabio lay on the floor, happily gnawing on a large bone. Mac sat beside her and listened with one ear as Kate and Randi chatted.

"Oh, Mac, this is Randi," Kate said, introducing the pair. "Randi, this is Mac. He's a regular, just like you."

"A pleasure," Randi said, smiling at him.

Mac felt like he'd been sucker-punched. She had the kind of smile that lit up the whole room and, from the looks of it she didn't even realize it.

Suddenly Randi shrieked. "I'm late!" she yelped. She quickly swallowed the rest of her coffee and grabbed her dog, bolting out the door after tossing a five-dollar bill on the counter from her pocket.

"Looks like she forgot her backpack," Mac noted.

A moment later Randi dashed back in to the café, grabbed her backpack, hollered "Bye!" and dashed back out again, leaving Mac staring after her, wondering if he'd just witnessed his first human whirlwind.

"She always like that?" he asked Kate.

Kate just shrugged. "That's Randi," she said, picking up the five-dollar bill and ringing in Randi's coffee.

And that was Mac's introduction to Randi.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: thanks to all those who read the first chapter. I promise I will continue to work on my other two stories (it surprises me that I can even keep everything straight but I manage somehow:)) so keep an eye out for them._

**Chapter 2**

Over the next several days Mac encountered Randi several times at the café. Between her generally bubbly nature that made her so approachable, and Kate, he got to know the woman reasonably well enough that he knew he could tease her and know she would fight back. It usually started with him asking if Fido had run down any more suspects lately and going from there.

Mac found Randi to be a pleasant, easy-going lady who could be a lot of fun and who happened to have an eccentric taste in clothes. He once saw her show up in low-rise stretch jeans with gold embroidery that hugged every curve of her legs, a colorful East Indian women's tunic called a choli that revealed her slender tummy and slender back, and a matching sari wrapped around her neck. She'd been wearing simple gold jewelry, gold-embroidered slippers, and had managed to coax her hair in to some kind of knot on her head that was messy-sexy. Having learned that crashes usually meant Randi was in the area and the crashes were usually the result of someone not paying attention to where they were going as they watched her, Mac eventually got used to them. Mac was sure he'd heard at least three crashes before Randi had entered the café that morning, not that he could blame the victims of the crashes, not with what he'd seen when she sat down, which was a very nice tush and a slender back, the kind that made him itch to run his fingers up and down just to see if she was sensitive there.

It was another quiet morning when there was a resounding crash from somewhere down the street. Neither Mac nor Kate even glanced up, except for Kate to say absently, "Randi's on her way over. Better make a fresh pot of coffee."

Sure enough, in breezed Randi. This time she wore a black ankle-length skirt, lace-up granny boots, white off-the-shoulder pheasant blouse and blue under-corset with colorful butterflies all over the fabric. Her hair was up in a knot on her head, held in place by a couple of pins decorated with large flowers and her bag of choice today was a small carpet bag in the same fabric as her corset. Large gold earrings swung from her ears every time she moved and today she was moving particularly fast. Mac thought she looked like a gypsy dancer, save for the earbud in her ears with the wire going down to a cell phone on her hip.

She breezed in to the café, calling out, "Mornin' Kate, mornin' Mac, mornin' Charlie!"

"Morning, Randi. The usual?" Kate asked, smiling.

"Only if you can make it to go; I've got a gazillion things to do and absolutely no time to slow down. I've already dropped Fabio off at Doggy Daycare," Randi replied, digging around in her bag. She pulled out a thick manila envelope and said, "That's for Charlie." Kate kindly handed the cook the envelope before moving off to fill a Styrofoam cup up with fresh coffee for Randi. As the waitress did so, Randi turned to Mac, smiled, and asked, "And how are you this fine morning?"

"Doing good, thank you. Yourself?" Mac asked, smiling back.

"On the run like a bat outta hell. You know what it's like when your boss wants you in two places at once?" Randi asked. Mac nodded. "Mine wants me in three."

Mac grinned. "Have fun then."

"Always do, but Fabio is going to sulk like crazy."

"Can't be that bad," Mac said.

"_You_ try living with a sulking seventeen pound mutt that just pouts at you every time you even look at him for two days straight," Randi shot back. "Man, can that dog ever sulk."

Mac chuckled.

Kate placed Randi's coffee in front of her, complete with lid and the usual milk and sugar already mixed in. Randi paid for the coffee, took it, and was just about out the door when Charlie, who had been reading the contents of the envelope bellowed, "_Randi!_"

"Yo?" she asked, sticking her head back in the café.

"Are you serious?" Charlie demanded, waving a bunch of papers in her direction.

"Is my signature and stamp on the bottom line?" she asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, I'm serious. Oh, and Mac?"

"Yeah?" he asked, getting ready to take a swallow of his own coffee.

"Nice backside. Keep up the running." And with that, she was gone, leaving Mac with his jaw hanging open and his ears going red. Then he started to chuckle. Yup, Randi strikes again.

"Is she for real?" Mac asked Kate.

"That's Randi. She's a bit techno-cursed so it's highly advisable that you never lend her your cell phone; it might not work again. Other than that, you know yourself she's a lot fun," Kate replied. Mac nodded. "I'm not quite sure what she does but I think it has to do with antiques in some form. The papers Charlie just got were appraisal papers on something Randi promised Charlie she'd have a look at. She's good that way. Did you see the rock on her right hand?"

Mac nodded. It had been hard to miss; antique silver with what looked like a large step-cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds.

"That's not glass; it's a diamond ring that dates back to the early 1900's. She inherited the ring from her grandmother," Kate said.

Mac whistled low. "It must be worth a pretty penny."

"Randi estimates it's worth close to several thousand dollars due in part to the stone's age and clarity," Kate said. "She wisely had it insured some time ago."

"Smart."

Kate smiled. "Don't let Randi fool you, Mac. She's a lot smarter than what most people give her credit for, even her own family."

"I consider myself warned."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Two days later Mac was in a meeting with one of the department heads, Jason Hodges. With him were several other detectives, all in charge of various departments of the NYPD, especially the ones in Mac's building. Mac didn't care too much for Hodges, considering the man to be more concerned about appearances than about work. But, unfortunately for him, Mac had to deal with the man so he shut up and put up.

"We have an evaluator coming in to look over the items stored in Storage Rooms One through Four. She is one of the state's foremost antique appraisers and comes from one of the most prominent appraiser companies in New York. Her name is Miranda Wilcox and I ex-" Hodges was saying when, suddenly, there was a terrific "_CRASH!_" from outside the room, causing everyone to jump.

"_Whatever it was, I didn't touch it!_" a female voice yelped. A moment later the door opened and a woman breezed in, wearing an open grey Union coat and hat, tan riding pants that hugged every sweet curve of her legs, and black heeled knee-high pull-on riding boots. She carried a tan-colored book bag. Mac thought she looked familiar but couldn't really see her face due to the hat and the way her curly black hair was arranged around the sides and tucked under the hat. He did see the large silver chandelier earrings swinging from her ears, however.

"Sorry I'm late, traffic's a pain in the rear and there was just a little spot of trouble on Bradford Avenue on the way over," the woman said to Hodges, apparently recognizing him. "Oh, and the accident outside in the hallway too."

"Not a problem, Ms. Wilcox," Hodges said, trying to appear charming as he took one of the woman's hands in his but Mac though he came across as being smarmy. He wondered what the woman thought.

The woman finally turned around and Mac felt his jaw drop. _Randi?_ And indeed it was Randi, who was wearing a cream-colored Victorian high-neck lace blouse under the coat, complete with a silver broach at the throat. Then he grinned when he saw Randi discretely wipe the hand Hodges had just had in his on the back of her pants. Nope, Randi didn't care for the guy either. When Randi saw him, her face lit up and she smiled warmly at him.

"Tell you guys what. I'm gonna be nice and cut to the chase," Randi began.

"You know how?" Mac asked, grinning.

She glared at him playfully. "Har, har, har. If I had something to throw, I would, at you," she shot back. The rest of the officers chuckled while Hodges glared silently at Mac, something Mac proceeded to ignore. "Anyway, getting back on track here – _shaddup_," she said, pointing a finger at Mac as he opened his mouth to say something again, causing another chuckle from the officers.

Mac was enjoying himself simply because Randi was so easy to tease and it helped that she fought back, making things just as interesting. Besides, he wanted to see how she handled herself on what was technically his turf.

"My name is Miranda Wilcox but I answer to Randi. As you have no doubt been informed, I will be going through the artifact storage areas over the next several days. However until I actually _see_ the contents, I won't know for sure how long I'm going to be here. As much as possible I will try and stay out of your guys' way but from time to time I may need a little help. Over-all, I only have one rule when I'm working," Randi said.

"Should we get nervous here?" one cop quipped.

Randi smiled, showing teeth. "Only if you try and treat me like a dainty little flower. Then I bust your balls and feed them to my dog." That caused another round of laughter amongst the officers.

When the meeting adjourned, Mac offered to take Randi to the storage areas on the pretense of having to go that way anyway. She graciously accepted.

"So you're an antique appraiser," Mac said as they walked towards the storage areas.

"With a four-year degree in history covering just about every topic I could lay my hands on in college and about fifteen years worth of experience in dealing with antiques, considered one of the state's foremost antique appraisers who just happens to have slightly off-the-wall taste in clothes and accessories, worth a pretty penny to do appraisals, yada, yada, yada, yup, that's me," Randi said easily. "And I'm only thirty-two."

"The numbers aren't coming up right," Mac said, doing the math in his head.

"They do if you factor in the fact that I started working in my grandma's antique shop when I was seventeen. Started there one summer when I was bored and got hooked," Randi replied.

Mac nodded. Now the numbers made sense. It also explained how Randi could afford to wear the kind of clothes she did and how she found them in the first place; her work put her in contact with a lot of them.

When Randi saw the contents of the storage rooms, she groaned. "This is gonna take me at least a month!" she yelped, moving amongst the various boxes and other assorted items.

"A month?"

"About two to three weeks to sort and catalogue everything and then a week to do the appraisals and final report," she explained. Suddenly she sneezed what Mac thought was the cutest sneeze he'd ever heard.

"Bless you," he said, grinning.

"Tink-coo," she replied, her mouth and nose in her hands. "Okay, I'm going to need a small table, chair, and power source but beyond that, I'll be okay. One question; can I bring Fabio with me sometimes? Especially if I'm working late?" she asked.

"As long as he behaves himself, doesn't go chasing after anyone, and keeps out of the labs, I don't see a problem," Mac said.

"Thanks. I promise, you won't regret this," Randi said, smiling.

_Then why do I get the feeling that it's going to be a long couple of weeks?_ Mac thought grimly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It had been two days since Randi started working at the NYPD and today she had decided to bring Fabio along. Fabio, bless his sweet heart, had behaved himself admirably. Now they were outside with Randi removing the leash from Fabio's harness and letting him have a bit of exercise at a park near the precinct. It was one the local cops frequented so Randi felt fairly safe there.

After a while of playing, Randi noticed Fabio on his belly, trying to inch his way over to a girl who sat at the base of a huge statue. Her parents were nearby, talking to a man in a suit, possibly a lawyer or a detective. There were several nasty gashes on the girl's face and arms and from the way she was looking at Fabio with a mixture of fear and curiosity, Randi quickly deuced that the girl had recently been attacked by a dog.

Fabio loved kids but especially seemed to love the shy ones. He would do what he was doing now, inching his way toward the kid on his belly. He stopped, whined pathetically, inched forward again, and whined again, giving the girl the whole "Poor me, pet me" look. As Randi watched, after a moment, the girl very hesitantly, very cautiously put her hand out and Fabio instantly began licking her hand eagerly. The girl giggled.

"Fabio, you charmer! There you are!" Randi said, deciding to join them.

"Is, is that his name?" the girl asked as Randi sat beside her.

"Yup, this is Fabio and I'm Randi."

"I'm Darlene," the girl said shyly. Randi placed her at about nine or ten.

"Nice to meet you, Darlene. He really likes it if you rub his belly like this," Randi said, rubbing Fabio's belly. Fabio rolled on his back, paws in the air, tail going ninety miles an hour, looking like he'd just gone to doggy heaven. Darlene giggled and copied Randi, causing the dog to wriggle in happiness.

"How come his ears are tied up?" Darlene asked.

"Because Fabio, here, has really long ears, almost two feet long," Randi replied. Fabio rolled over and she removed the cloth lacings that tied his ears back. His ears promptly flopped on the ground in a pool around his feet and Darlene gapped in amazement. "As you can see, too much ear, not enough Fabio. So," she said as she tied his ears back again, "to prevent infection while he's having fun, I tie his ears out of the way. It also stops him from accidentally tripping over his ears while he's playing." Darlene giggled at the sight of Fabio with his ears tied back. Then she smiled. Removing a ribbon from her ponytail, she tied a nice little bow in the cloth lacings on Fabio's ears.

"Much better," she said, giggling again.

"Oh I quite agree!" Randi said, also giggling. Fabio just gave a big shake of his head, making his ears slap against him.

"What happened to his eye and leg?" Darlene asked as she petted Fabio.

"I'm not really sure. I found him about four years ago at the local Humane Society and was told he had been brought in from the streets. The Humane Society people really wanted to help him but they just couldn't afford to have the necessary surgery done on him to save his life so they were going to put him down when I went over there and convinced them to let me have him. I know he had a really bad infection in the one eye and there was a bad infection in his leg from some kind of cut. I fell in love with him and took him to the vet and all that and they said that in order to save him, they were going to have to remove his eye and leg. I told them to do what had to be done," Randi said. "He's been with me ever since and even with three legs, he can run faster than any dog I've ever known." She handed the girl Fabio's ball and said, "Here, why don't you throw this? He loves playing catch."

Eagerly, Darlene threw the ball and Fabio took off like a shot. He brought the ball back and dropped it in front of Darlene who threw it again, laughing. Again Fabio brought the ball back and again Darlene threw it. This time the ball bounced off a tree and, to Randi's horror, right past a certain detective who didn't even see Fabio barreling straight for him. She slapped her hands over her mouth in horror as Fabio hit the back of Mac Taylor's legs at full-tilt, sending Mac flying. As if that wasn't bad enough, the ground in that area was particularly muddy and Mac landed square on his back in the mud with a splash. Then things got even worse. Fabio grabbed the ball and used Mac's chest as a springboard to run back to her and Darlene. The end result was muddy paw prints all over Mac and mud all over his suit. All Randi could do was stare in horror at the whole scene.

Then Mac stood up, with help from Detective Stella Bonasera and Lindsey Monroe, and turned to look straight at them. His eyes went wide and Randi decided it would be a _very_ good idea if she grabbed Fabio and got the hell out of the area before Mac decided to kill them.

"Play time is over, get-away time is now, nice meeting you, Darlene!" Randi said, grabbing Fabio and snapping his leash on to his harness.

"You too, Randi. Bye Fabio!" Darlene called as she ran back to her parents, apparently in the same mind as Randi.

Randi made a beeline back to her work area and promptly hid for the next hour. "You are one dead dog, Fabio! I know you love your ball but did you _have _to go through Mac's legs to get it? You're lucky I love you too much to try and seriously kill you!" she told the dog, who just yawned and went to sleep at her feet.

A little while later, while she was grabbing some coffee from the breakroom and trying to keep an eye out for Mac, Stella showed up. This gave Randi an idea.

"Hi Randi," Stella said. She and Randi had hit off instantly with Stella envying Randi's ability to put together her outfits and look good wearing it. She also liked Randi's cheerful, happy-go-lucky nature and had quickly realized that the other woman really did not have any idea of the effect she had on the male population, making her even more likable.

"Hey Stella. Listen, can I ask a small favor of you?" Randi asked.

"You can ask but whether or not I can do it depends on the favor you're asking," Stella replied.

"You saw what happened at the park, right?" Randi cringed at the memory as Stella grinned.

"Yeah. Mac had to take his suit and shirt to the dry-cleaners," Stella said.

Randi groaned in embarrassment. "Can you find out where and the ticket number? I want to pay for that. Fabio is my dog and therefore I should pay for the dry-cleaning."

"Would it make you feel better?" Stella asked kindly.

"It would."

"No promises, but I'll see what I can do," the detective said, smiling.

"And if he's already paid for it, snitch the bill and let me know the amount so I can reimburse him in full."

Stella nodded. "I'll do what I can, I promise."

"Call or text me when you know."

"Will do."

"Thanks, Stella. I really appreciate this."

"No problem. That was the funniest thing I ever saw, even if it was at Mac's expense," Stella said, grinning.

"What, Fabio verses Mac?" came Detective Donald Flack's voice as he came in to the breakroom, grinning.

"Is that what you guys are calling it?" Randi asked, mortified.

"Half the precinct saw that," Flack said, grinning even wider. "And the other half that didn't, heard about it."

"_Oh my god!_ I am going to _kill_ that dog, provided Mac doesn't kill me first!" Randi groaned, slapping her hands to her face in embarrassment, causing both Flack and Stella to laugh.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: thanks to all those who took the time to read and review this. More is coming, I promise and, in the future, Mac is going to be finding out a lot more about Randi, including a few things about her little-known temper. Keep an eye out for it and keep reviewing!_

**Chapter 5**

It was much later in the evening when Randi finally got up enough guts to face Mac and apologize for Fabio's little 'oops' with the ball. Her teenage neighbor, a nice girl by the name of Nyanya, had offered to take Fabio while she finished her work and Randi had gladly accepted. So Nyanya had picked up Fabio from the precinct several hours ago and Randi had gone back to work. Now she was on her way out when she decided to swing by Mac's office and brave him. Luckily he had a glass office so she spotted him before he spotted her. She tentatively knocked on the door and when he looked up she stuck her head in.

"You got a minute?" she asked.

"I'm just about to head out but yes, I can spare you a minute," he said, smiling. His back was still a bit sore from where he'd landed on the ground and he'd had a bit of a headache for a while there, but other wise, he was okay. After he'd changed his clothes and taken the mud-covered ones to the dry-cleaner, he'd begun to see the humor in the situation. He had probably looked pretty funny when Fabio had caught him in the legs and then used his chest for a springboard. He didn't mind the fact that quite a large number of people were talking about the incident because, as he told Stella, at least it was funny. Then Stella had told him about Randi's request and he realized she felt pretty bad about the whole thing. He'd reluctantly shown his partner the dry-cleaning bill and watched as Stella had promptly texted Randi the information. He really didn't want Randi to pay for what was genuinely an accident but understood that she felt bad about the whole thing.

"I'm really, really sorry about Fabio and about your suit," she said apologetically.

"Apology accepted, on one condition," he said, deciding to take advantage of the situation.

"What's that?" she asked, curious.

"You join me for dinner and leave Fabio behind," he said.

Her face lit up. "You don't have to worry about Fabio, he's with a friend right now. And as for the dinner, okay, but I'm paying."

He chuckled. "How about we go Dutch?" he offered.

"I can live with that," she said.

"Do you drive?" he asked, slipping his coat on as he prepared to leave his office.

"Mac, you've seen what happens when I get too close to mechanical things, right?" she said tentatively.

A memory came to him and he smiled. Yeah, he knew. One of the younger cops had been showing off to Randi, showing her his brand-new cell phone, a top of the line thing and she'd handled it before handing it back to the officer. Less than a minute later, as she was walking away, somehow, and they still weren't sure how but thought it might have to do with the battery, the cell had started sputtering sparks. That was a two hundred dollar phone right down the drain. The cop never went near her again, not that Randi noticed. With Randi, things just seemed to go _wrong_ when she was around and Mac was certain it wasn't her fault, it just happened. Word was Danny had gotten stuck in the elevator recently, an elevator Randi had just gotten off. Poor Danny had been stuck in the elevator for almost an hour before they'd been able to rescue him.

"I don't own a car, Mac, because the last one I had, which was about five years ago, broke down so much it spent more time at the garage than I spent driving it. I finally had to sell it and just get a subway and a bus pass. Safer," Randi said.

He chuckled. Yup, that made sense. Poor Randi. "Do I dare let you in my car?" he asked, teasing.

She smiled, reached into her bag and pulled out what looked like some kind of knot and a brass Chinese symbol on red rope. "If you hang this in the rear-view mirror you shouldn't have any problems."

"What is it?" he asked, taking a closer look.

"It's a Feng Shui Good Fortune Lucky Knot. A friend of mine made it for me when she heard about my little problem with mechanical things and I always carry it with me, especially when I'm traveling. It seems to help around mechanical things," she explained eagerly. She took out her cell phone and showed him a little ivory rabbit attached to it like a cell phone charm. "That's why I have the lucky rabbit on my cell and a good luck symbol painted on my lap top. I also have a Feng Shui lion at my place for protection."

Mac chuckled and teased, "Can we borrow that lion?"

"I'm sure I could find one, if you'd like," she said, grinning.

"I'm starting to think that would be a very good idea," he said, grinning as he lead her out of his office and locked the door.

"Oh, come on, I'm not that bad!" she yelped, feigning indignation.

"You sure about that?" Her reply was to slap his arm and grin.

Having seen Randi around mechanical things, Mac wisely hung the Lucky Knot in his rearview mirror the moment they got into the car. Then he took her to one of his favorite restaurants, one Randi confessed to not having been to before.

Mac knew Randi was a really nice, easy-going woman with an infectious laugh and a bone-melting smile that had even the most hardened cop offering to help her, but it wasn't until he actually had dinner with her that he realized there was more to her than what most people realized. And, unintentionally, he began a slow fall.

Randi had a way of making history sound interesting, of making the most boring moment in history sound like it was worth taking a closer look at. She could rival Sheldon for bits of interesting trivia and even knew a few things about the Marines that Mac hadn't known about. Then they touched the topic of rights and child pornography. It had started out simply enough with Randi commenting on convicts demanding the right to vote even while they were in prison and gone from there.

"Okay, while we're on the topic of rights, what about the right to own whatever material you want, like child pornography?" Mac asked.

"That's fine and dandy, but there's a bit of a catch with that particular right," she replied.

"What's the catch?"

"What right do you have to take away the right of someone else?" she asked. "Yes, you do have the right to own whatever material you want, but when that right takes away someone else's right, is that right really a good right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Perverts may have the right to own child pornography, but they don't have the right to take away the most basic right of any child; the right to _be_ a child."

Mac sat back in his chair, realizing Randi had made a very valid point. She continued.

"You see, the problem with child pornography is when a child is viewed as a sex object, they are no longer a child. By viewing that child as a sex object, you've taken away that child's right to play, to laugh, and to be innocent. A child doesn't know what it means to be a sex object and why should they have to? We're the adults, Mac, we're supposed to be taking care of them, they're supposed to be able to look up to us to guide them and protect them, and how can we do that when we exploit them sexually?"

"Why aren't you a lawyer?" he asked.

"I'd have to wear a suit and that's a _no thanks_. Besides, history's more fun," she said, smiling.

The restaurant had a dance floor and good music, which is one of the reasons why Mac liked that particular place and when the band started up, Randi eagerly dragged Mac on to the dance floor. To his surprise, Randi was actually quite a good dancer and he found himself enjoying himself. He also quickly realized the whole situation gave him an excuse to touch her, even if it was only her back and hand but that was okay. She felt soft, slender, and female. When he asked her how she'd learned to dance, she shrugged.

"Mom and Dad, Dad especially, insisted that I at least know the basics of good dancing because the Wilcox's were occasionally invited to a fancy-shmancy ball or whatever, where it kinda helped if you at least knew how to do the Fox Trot or a waltz," she explained. "It helped that I loved to dance and could often be found at a local club where the music was good, especially if I was stressed out. Grandma always told me, when Grandpa was teaching me how to waltz, to dance like no one's watching. Even though they're both gone, I still hear her and I still remember."

"You must have really loved your grandparents," Mac commented, hearing the sadness in her voice.

"Grandpa and Grandma met during World War One and Grandma always said that it was because of the way Grandpa danced with her that she fell in love with him," she said, smiling at the memory. "Some times I'd come into the store and I'd hear an old fashioned waltz playing and I would find them waltzing together. One of these days I'll show you a photograph I have of them. It was one of the last ones of Grandpa before he died of a heart attack when I was eighteen and it was taken while they were waltzing together. Grandma followed him about two years later in her sleep but I think it was because of a broken heart; those two really loved each other and Grandma was never really the same after he died."

"I would really love to see that photograph," he said, smiling back.

"I'll bring it tomorrow," she promised.

Later, Mac dropped Randi off at her place noticed she only lived a few blocks from him. He commented on that as he walked her to the apartment complex door.

"Cool," she said, grinning. "Hey, Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"I really enjoyed myself. Thank you," she said and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Mac had to fight with himself not to turn his head and kiss her properly. There would be time enough for that, he told himself. Instead, he squeezed her hands gently and asked "See you tomorrow?"

"You bet," she said, smiling softly. Then she unlocked her building door and was gone, leaving Mac smiling like a schoolboy who'd just gotten his first kiss from the most popular girl in school.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Randi?" Mac called, concerned. He could hear the Backstreet Boys blaring out their song _Everybody _(_Backstreet's Back) _from her MP3 stereo on her worktable but couldn't see Randi anywhere. The front desk officer, Officer Davey Vickels, had gotten concerned when Randi hadn't answered her phone, even after several messages. He'd mentioned it to Mac, who knew how good Randi was about answering her cell and he'd gone to check on her.

"Randi?" Mac called again, louder.

"Be right with you," she called finally back from somewhere way the heck at the back. After a moment, she emerged from a pile of boxes, covered in dust and cobwebs. "I think I just found the world's largest collection of cobwebs," she groused, pulling a spider out of her hair. Today she was wearing paint-splattered stretch jeans over a bright purple halter body-suit that left her back deliciously bare. Tan and denim-studded cowboy boots from Victoria's Secret were on her feet and over her jeans and a knee-length sweatercoat in tan and cream wool hung from the back of her work chair. Her hair was in a high ponytail and decorated with a purple, blue, and pink scarf. Mac thought she looked absolutely adorable, especially with the dust smudges on her face.

He chuckled and asked, "How come you're not answering your cell?"

A frown coming across her face, she unhooked her cell from its place on her hip, flipped it open, fiddled with it for a moment and said finally said sheepishly, "'Cause the ringer's off?"

"Good reason. How did that happen?" he asked, grinning.

"I was in a wee bit of a hurry this morning and I was trying to change my ringtone while dashing out the door and not trip over Fabio while I was at it."

"You over-slept?"

"Over-slept implies I forgot to set my alarm clock. It was more of a case of I was ummm… enjoying my dream just a _little_ too much."

"Do I even want to know?"

"Do you want your ears turning red?" When Mac just grinned and shook his head, she said, "Didn't think so." She checked her missed calls and started muttering, "Drat, drat, drat, drat, drat!" She punched in a number. "Yeah, Davey, it's Randi. No, I'm fine, I had a minor problem with my cell, don't worry. Sorry about that." She groaned. "Okay, I'll be right there." She ended the call and closed the cell with a snap. "Drat, drat, drat, and double drat."

"Problem?" Mac asked, concerned.

"My business partner, Stewart, is at the front desk. Seems he decided to pay a visit."

"You don't look too happy about that," he commented as they left the storage area and headed for the reception area.

"I always wind up with a headache after dealing with him, more so as of late. I'm trying to find a new business partner but trying to do that and do it quietly, well, I just haven't had the time. Plus, I think Stewie wants to get closer than just business and I'm really not that interested," Randi explained.

Mac nodded in understanding. It had been almost a week since their dinner and he'd seen how busy Randi could get.

"Stewart, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Randi asked the tall, reed-like man in a dignified gray tweed suit. His brown hair was perfectly combed and his shoes were polished.

"Really, Miranda, you should dress better than… that… outfit. It fails to do your image any good," Stewart sniffed, staring in distaste at her dust-covered clothes and revealing back and arms.

"Like I'm gonna wear a suit while crawling around on my hands and knees in a dusty room, yeah right. Real funny," she said sarcastically, folding her arms across her chest. Unfortunately, that drew unwanted attention to her breasts. When she saw Stewart's eyes drifting down that way, she glared at him. "Stewart, I have a lot to do. Why are you here?" she asked, getting impatient.

"I have some contracts that require your signature," he said, holding out a file and pen.

She opened the file and counted the contracts. There were four and all from some pretty big names in New York. "I'm not signing anything until I've had a chance to look over them."

"That's really not necessary; I've already looked over them and they're just fine," Stewart replied arrogantly.

"That's what you said about the Fellany contract and I wound up with a whooper of a mess landed in my lap that took way too much unnecessary hassle to sort out. The rule is I read over the contracts or anything that comes my way before I sign anything," Randi shot back.

"Don't you trust me to do what's best for the business?" he snapped impatiently.

"I don't trust _Fabio_ to do what's best, what the heck makes you think I'm gonna trust you?" she shot back.

"That's a real good business ethnic you've got," he snarked.

Randi could feel a headache coming on. She rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. "Is there anything else I need to know about?" she asked.

"Yes, I took the liberty of signing the Endbergs to an appraisal contract. Your secretary should be mailing them the papers now," he said pompously.

_Don't bet on that,_ she thought, thinking of her loyal secretary, Angel, who cared little for Stewart and had made it very plain where her loyalties lay. Mind you, it didn't help that Stewart was constantly suggesting that Randi remove Angel in favor of someone with more experience and better dress ideas. Angel was a Goth and had been with Randi for about two years, getting hired by her right out of college. The two women got along great and Randi let Angel dress however she want, complete with nose stud and eyebrow ring, as long as nothing was rude or indecent. Also, Randi ideas about work were radically different than most other secretarial-type jobs. Angel didn't work _for_ Randi, she worked _with _her.

"Really Randi, if you would simply pay more attention to the business and less to the antiques, things would pick up," Stewart said.

So lost in thought, Randi almost missed the comment. Fortunately she didn't miss the chirp of her cell, indicating an incoming text message. Flipping the cell open, she accessed the message and started grinning.

_HAVE ADVIL, U WANT?_

The message was from Mac. She quickly sent back a message.

_X-TRA STRENGTH?_

The cell chirped again. _YES, IN OFFICE._ She quickly sent back a "smile" emoticon.

"What was that all about?" Stewart asked, annoyed that Randi wasn't paying attention to him.

"Just a friend relaying a message to me," she said absently.

"Ah. Anyway, I was hoping we could discuss the contracts, say over dinner?" he suggested.

Randi raised an eyebrow. "Not a chance. I'll swing by the office in the late afternoon and we'll discuss it then. With certain rare exceptions, I don't do dinner with co-workers," she said. "Now, I'm going to go look at these contracts and get back to work, so if you'll excuse me." And she started to walk away.

"I need those contracts signed and back on my desk by tomorrow morning!" Stewart called in an annoyed tone of voice. She flapped her hand over her shoulder in acknowledgement, not looking back.

As she headed for Mac's office, she glanced over the contracts and scowled. Yeah, the names were big in terms of money, but they demanded too much of her time and the start dates would interfere with her work with the NYPD. Plus, she had to wonder just how much of a cut Stewart was getting from these. Her headache grew.

Suddenly, someone accidentally knocked the contract file from her hands and the contents spilled all over the floor. She groaned and bent over to pick the papers up when she felt a hand grab her ass.

_WHAM!_

Her grabber, an arrogant young prick of a beat cop, was now on the floor on his back, thanks to a lightning fast move she'd pulled. Feeling her rage build, she calmly put her foot against the man's throat, leaned over, and hissed, "Congratulations, I was already in a bad mood. You just managed to make it worse." Loudly she said, "As _someone _who's _supposed_ to be a cop, I would have expected _better_ behavior from you than your _pathetic_ attempt to _grab my ass _while I'm bent over. Shame on you."

She removed her foot and another young cop, his face and ears going red, handed her back her now-gathered-up file. She nodded her thanks and, back straight, continued on her way to Mac's office.

She entered without knocking, even though he was on the phone, and plopped down on his couch, tossing her file on his desk. She tired put her head on her knees and groaned. After a moment, Mac finished his call and joined her on the couch. He waved a bottle of water under her nose, along with some Extra-Strength Advil, causing her to lift her head. Smiling gently, he handed her the water and painkillers. She dutifully swallowed both Advil before leaning her head back down. When she felt Mac's gentle hands begin to massage the back of her neck, she moaned in appreciation.

"Have I told you how much I love ya so?" she asked. He just chuckled softly.

"You going to be okay?" he asked.

"I'll live, thank you," she replied as he finished the massage. She sat up, her mind feeling a lot more clearer than it had earlier. "I think I need to have a chat with Angel," she said, pulling out her cell. He raised an eyebrow. "My secretary." He nodded in understanding.

"Do you want me to vanish?" he asked.

"Nah, 'cause after I finish this, I've got a question for you so you might as well hang around. Besides, I got nothing to hide." She punched in a number on her cell.

"_Back In Time Antique Appraisals,_" came Angel's cheerful voice.

"Hey Angel, it's Randi."

"_Oh! Hi Boss, how's it going?_"

"Stewie stopped by the precinct. You can guess the results."

"_I sure can. Why you put up with him, I don't know._"

"I've been asking myself that question a lot these days," Randi groused. "Listen, Stewie said he gave you a contract to mail out."

"_Got it right here. It didn't have your mark on it so I said 'yes sir' and promptly hid the thing._"

"Smart girl. I'm thinking… Stewie hit me with four more contracts to sign. Do we still have Paulie on retainer?"

"_Paul Kent, the lawyer? Yeah, we should do. Why? You thinking of hitting him with the contracts and telling him to eyeball the things?_"

"You read my mind, girl. Give him a call for me, will ya, and tell him to go over the contracts with a fine toothcomb and red pen in hand. You know how I operate."

"_I do indeed and I will make the phone call right away. If he says 'yes' I'll courier the contract over to him and tell the guy to swing by the NYPD to pick up the other four._"

"Good idea. Call me on my cell with the results."

"_Will do. And, I hate to say this, but you have a bunch of invitations to say 'yay' or 'nay' to. I made a note of which ones Stewie said 'yay' to but didn't send out any replies yet._"

"You're going on a very long lunch break tomorrow, girl."

"_Yay!_"

"Bring whatever you feel needs my attention and head to the precinct. Once I know you're there, I'll meet you and we'll hit a restaurant."

"_Will do. Oh, and did Stewie comment on your outfit?_"

"Yeah, me, a suit, and dust, are you out of your mind?"

Angel giggled. "_Maybe you should show up in pajamas. That would really get his goat._"

"Top, yes, bottom, no. But… I do have a pair of jeans that have seen better days… now I remember why I hired you!"

Angel laughed and said, "_Okay, see you tomorrow, Boss._"

Randi sighed with satisfaction and smiled at Mac as she snapped her cell shut. "Wanna grab dinner tonight?"

"Sure. You sure you're going to be okay?" he asked.

"I'm always okay. Surely you've figured that out by now."

"I know, but even the strong need a rest once in a while."

"Thanks for the offer," she said, smiling as she stood up to go back to work. "You're a regular prince." And she leaned down and, right from a classic _Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs_ scene, gently placed a butterfly kiss on his forehead. Then she left the office and left him smiling softly, his skin tingling from where her lips had touched his head.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I'm finding Randi to be a very fun character to write with and hope you're enjoying her as much as I am. I know this chapter is primarily Randi but trust me, it's a building block for the story. Let me know, as always, what you think._

**Chapter 7**

Officer Davey Vickels raised an enquiring eyebrow as a young woman in Goth-wear approached the desk.

"Hi, can you tell me where to find Randi Wilcox?" the girl asked.

"I can give her a call, if you'd like," Davey said.

"Sure. Thanks."

"May I ask your name?"

"Angel. I'm Randi's secretary."

Quickly closing his mouth, Davey placed the call. Randi assured him she'd be right there.

Angel was a practicing Wiccan who simply favored the dark, Victorian-romantic clothes of Goth-wearers. She was a natural blonde with chunks of dark red in her shoulder-length hair. She even had a nose stud and a sterling silver eyebrow stud. Today, wanting to dress to impress but still be true to herself, she'd chosen a black and purple velvet corset top with long bell sleeves in a sheer black material. She was also wearing black pants with wide purple vertical stripes, fingerless lace gloves, and black pointy "elf" shoes with a square coffin heel and silver buckle. Black lipstick and nails, and a large silver pentagram with polished amethyst pieces completed the outfit. On her back was a coffin-shaped backpack but she also carried a black leather book bag.

"Hiya, Angel!" came Randi's cheerful voice as she greeted the secretary. "You ready to go eat?"

True to her word, Randi was wearing a pretty blue ribbed tank top with bows all over it in pink, purple, and blue, faded jeans that had a worn hole in one knee, and tan, well-worn cowboy boots. She was even wearing a large, well-worn denim jacket and had pulled her hair back in a ponytail with a faded dark blue handkerchief.

_If Stewie saw Randi right now, he'd blow his top_, Angel thought, grinning at the concept. She thought Stewart was getting more and more controlling and obsessive about the business and towards Randi and this worried her. Yeah, her loyalties lay with Randi, but what if Stewart went too far? What if things came down to a power struggle? What if Stewart really tried to fire her? Then what? What would happen to her?

Angel tried not to worry, to have faith in Randi, but that was easier said than done. Still, she tried.

"A'right, what's with the claddagh?" Randi demanded, slinging an arm around Angel's shoulders and dragging her left hand up for closer examination, where a very nice silver claddagh ring sat on one finger, in the "Taken" position.

Angel giggled and blushed. "It's from Trey," she admitted, referring to her boyfriend of over six months.

"About damn time!" Randi yelped as they left the building.

Over lunch they discussed business matters. Randi quickly 'nay'ed' two thirds of the invites due to lack of time and two she just plain didn't want to go to.

"Stewie's gonna scream," Angel commented.

"Stewie can damn well remember who he works for," was Randi's reply.

"Don't bet on it," Angel muttered.

Randi looked at Angel with concern, leaning back in her chair and tapping her pen on the table. "What's on your mind, girl?"

Angel sighed heavily. Her boss had always been able to see right through her.

"Stewie's been getting… possessive… about the business as of late. I think he may be trying to take Back In Time away from you, or at least get more control over it. He's pushing pretty hard to have more high-end contracts brought in and, from what I've seen of the contracts, he's taking a sizeable chunk from the fees for 'personal services', whatever the hell that is," Angel confessed.

"Did you ask?"

"Guess the results," was Angel's sour reply. Randi nodded in understanding. "He also keeps threatening to have me fired if I don't start doing things his way."

Randi was scowling by this point. "I appreciate you telling me this and I can understand how difficult it may have been but I'm glad you told me. I'm not sure what, exactly, I'm going to do right now in regards to Stewie, however, know that your job is secure. I'm very satisfied with your work, Angel, especially as of late," she finally said.

Angel sighed with relief.

"I think, from now on, I want you to start taking a much more closer look at what goes on in regards to Stewie. If it raises a red flag, let me know and put Paulie on speed-dial," Randi continued.

"Done and done. What am I looking for?"

"Trust your gut," was Randi's simple reply. "Speaking of Paulie, did he get back to you on those contracts?"

"He read 'em, red-penned 'em and threw three of 'em out the window," Angel said gleefully.

"That good, huh?"

"Yup, including the one Stewie signed. He said if the contract was challenged, it wouldn't hold up in court 'cause you didn't officially sign it, making it invalid."

"Good. Tell Paulie to expect a lot more of those his way. What about the other two contracts?"

"Can you squeeze him in for lunch tomorrow?"

"I can do that. Usual place and time?"

"Yup."

Randi pulled her PDA towards her and inputted in the information in her organizer section. Her cell, laptop, small digital camera, MP3 player, and PDA were her constant companions and all had some kind of lucky symbol or charm on it for protection because those things seemed to be the only reason her gadgets didn't go screwy on her. Angel had thought it was hilarious at first, until Randi had borrowed her cell one day and the darn thing had not worked again. That was the last time Angel had ever let Randi near any of her electronic gadgets.

Randi sighed heavily. "Why aren't you my business manager instead of Stewie?" she groused.

"Fire Stewie and we'll talk," Angel quipped.

"Don't tempt me."

Back at the precinct, Randi literally ran into Mac. They had enjoyed their dinner last night and, once again, he'd dropped her off at her place, leaving with yet another kiss on the cheek, this one a little closer to his own mouth than the previous one and a little more lingering. The kiss, and the look in Randi's eyes, had resulted in some very interesting dreams for him that night. Now he had his nose buried in a file and she was responding to someone's greeting, not really paying attention to where she was going. The end result was papers and photographs flying everywhere.

"Mac! Yipe! I so sorry!" she yelped.

Mac just chuckled in affectionate amusement and said, "Did you enjoy your lunch?" They bent down to gather up the file.

"Angel's always… what the heck?" she began, her attention caught by a photograph of a carved wooden coffee table.

"Fraud case," Mac said. "That's supposed to be an eighteenth century table made by the Taros Company in Europe. What do you think?"

"Won't know until I see it," Randi said, still studying the photo. She handed it back to him with a shrug as they stood up. "As it is, I don't touch anything unless I'm invited to."

"That could always change," he replied in a low, soft voice, leaning close and grinning as he deliberately teased her.

"If you're referring to antiques, that's one thing but," and here she leaned closer to him, whispering seductively, "if you're referring to yourself, that's a whole 'nother subject." And, with a quick kiss on the cheek, she was off, skipping down the hall, leaving Mac chuckling.

Randi had won that round that time and it was a game he was seriously enjoying. He just wondered where it was going to end and couldn't help but hope that it would end favorably. Randi was desirable, not just as a woman, but as a person and the more he got to know her, the closer he wanted to get to her. He wondered how she felt.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: As always, enjoy and let me know what you think._

**Chapter 8**

It had been a few days since Randi's lunch with Angel and her subsequent lunch with her lawyer, Paul "Paulie" Kent. Randi and Paul had gone over the two contracts and had noticed Stewarts "personal services" fee, a whooping fifteen percent added to the final amount of the contract fees. She had assured Paul that she had not discussed any such fees with Stewart. He got paid by the hour, just as she did.

Over the next few days, Stewart had tried to get three more such contracts signed by Randi and all three had landed on Paul's desk. Only one she had been okayed to sign after it had been red-penned, an appraisal that had taken her away from the NYPD for less than a day. That was the only reason she'd agreed to it.

The end result of the last few days was that she was tired and badly stressed out and desperately wanting to talk to someone but not knowing who she could talk to about such matters. She didn't get along well enough with her parents to really talk to them without them literally trying to take over the situation and making her feel very inadequate. Angel was okay but the girl had enough on her mind as it was and the last thing Randi felt she needed to hear was her boss's worries. So she had clammed up and tried to work things out herself.

It was a lovely day outside and today Randi had brought Fabio with her, feeling a bit guilty about the amount of time she hadn't been able to spend with him. So she had put him on an extra long extendable leash that allowed him to wander while she worked, keeping him secure but happy.

Now she was trying to go for lunch, emphasis on the words _trying to._ Unfortunately Hodges, who was still trying to work his way into her supposed good graces, had waylaid her just before she could leave the building. Now, amid various cops and detectives going about their business, he was trying to worm his way into an invitation with her to the Filbreg society party next week, an event she had no intention of going to and had already had Angel send back the appropriate response.

"Mr. Hodges-" she began.

"Please, call me Jason," he said.

"Jason, unfortunately, I have a lot on my plate at the moment, so I was forced to decline the invitation of the Filbregs. If the event matters to you that much, I can always talk to them about extending you an invitation," she continued.

"Now, now, that's really not necessary, especially if you have no plans to attend. Perhaps you and I can do dinner some night," he said suggestively.

Randi's insides curdled at the thought but she pasted a polite smile on her face and said carefully, "Unfortunately I'm afraid that won't be possible any time soon. I'm booked solid for quite some time. Now, I hate to say this but I'm going to be late for my lunch appointment." And with that, she called to Fabio. "Fab, food!"

While Randi had been talking to Hodges, Fabio had been meandering about the room, visiting with the various detectives who knew him. As it was, his leash became well and truly woven around various chairs and stationary objects.

When Randi suddenly called to Fabio, he took off running straight for her. And chaos ensued.

As Randi watched in horror, the leash yanked several chairs to the floor, chairs with people in them. The leash then went straight up and caught some poor fellow in the groin. Then, as if things couldn't possibly get any worse, they did. The handle of the leash was yanked out of Randi's hand and began to rapidly wind the leash back up, literally retracing Fabio's steps and hitting a few unsuspecting people along the way.

Finally, the handle caught up to Fabio, who was now sitting patiently at Randi's feet. The force of the recoil of the leash snapped it past Fabio's head and square into Hodge's groin, dropping the man instantly.

Tears forming in her eyes and her hands over her mouth, Randi could only stare in horror at the scene of chaos before her. Several officers were groaning in pain while several others, including Flack, were howling with laughter while trying to help their fellow officers.

"Lunch time," came Mac's gentle voice in her ear as he put an arm around her shoulder and gently lead her out of the area and outside. He, Stella, and Lindsey had entered the area just in time to see the end result and the look on Randi's face. Now Stella picked up Fabio's leash and the dog trotted beside her as if nothing chaotic had just happened.

"Good idea," Lindsey said. "You go with Mac and we'll take Fabio for some all-girl pampering."

Both Mac and Stella nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Randi finally said. Seeing that Stella had Fabio's leash, she nodded again. "Just don't let him have either garlic, cheese, or onions, no matter how much he begs."

"Bad results?" Stella asked.

"Last time Fabio had garlic, the gas company showed up looking for the reported gas leak, police showed up due to reports of small explosions coming from my place after I'd given the dog some cheese, and the last guy who got too close to Fabio after he'd had a couple of onion rings, passed out when Fabio suddenly burped," Randi explained. All three CSIs looked at her incredulously. "I have the vet bill for the charcoal and the ambulance bill for the poor sod to prove it," she said calmly. "I also have the dry cleaning and upholstery cleaning bills."

"Okay, no garlic, cheese, or onions," Lindsey said. "Now, stop worrying and go have some fun!"

At the restaurant Mac noticed Randi was picking at her meal, not really eating and not really saying a whole heck of a lot. Something was wrong as he had also noticed she'd lost her glow, she was smiling less, and there seemed to be dark circles under her eyes. Her clothing had also been affected and her outfits of the last few days had been less than Randish. In fact, today she was wearing a men's stripped dress shirt in light and dark blue, paired with basic black pants, dark blue waistcoat, and gold and black ballet slippers. Her hair had even been pulled back in a low, very basic ponytail and her earrings were simple gold hoops.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her gently.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, Mac. I know I'm not being very good company right now. Just a lot of things on my mind right now and I'm really worked about things," she explained apologetically.

Mac studied her for a moment, then threw a couple of bills on the table and gently tugged her out of her chair. "Come on. Let's go for a walk."

Tucking her arm in his, Mac deliberately set an easy pace. Eventually they made their way to a quiet park with a nice view of the water.

"Anything I can do to help? Even if it's only to listen?" he asked as they walked.

It took Randi a moment but, finally, she started talking.

She told him about her concerns about Stewart and the contract fiascos. Every time she threw a contract out or red-penned it, Stewart would get hostile and over-bearing. He had begun accusing her of having absolutely no business sense and was beginning to make subtle hints about making things even more difficult if she didn't start seeing things his way.

To top it off, her older sister, Catherine, was coming to New York in about a week and had practically insisted on staying with Randi, even though Randi had tried to suggest other accommodations.

"I take it you and your sister don't get along too well?" Mac asked.

"Let's just say that Catherine and I are polar opposites. She's very much 'out there' when it comes to the Wilcox name and everything that goes with it, and is very beautiful. Men flock to her like flies to honey and she knows it."

"What makes you think you're not beautiful?"

Randi snorted. "Mac," she said exasperatedly, "compared to Catherine, I'm a damn wall flower. Accidents happen either around me or because of me, like with you and Fabio, especially the latest incident. My sense of style is completely off the wall, I've got a Goth-Wicca secretary…"

"You've got a kind, generous heart, a smile that's like sunshine, you've got even the toughest cop on the beat eating out of your hand," Mac cut in. They had stopped walking and now he faced her, cupping her face in his hands. "You're beautiful, Randi, more than you realize. Just look at the number of people who count you as a friend. Yeah, crazy things seem to happen around you and I'm sure as heck not going to be lending you my cell any time soon, but so what? That doesn't change who you are," he said. "And you are a very beautiful, very desirable woman with a very beautiful heart."

Randi had absolutely no idea what to say. Her grandparents had been one of the last people to ever honestly call her beautiful. Now she found herself slowly getting lost in Mac's blue eyes. His thumb gently brushed over her bottom lip, causing her to shiver and her lips to part. Then her eyes slid shut as Mac, sweet, gentle, prince-in-her-dreams Mac, gave her the sweetest kiss she'd ever known.

"Things will be okay, Randi," he said softly as he gently pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace that was both comforting and softly sensual at the same time. "Just hold on to me for a while."

"I can do that," she said, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head down on his shoulder. Sighing in contentment, Randi felt herself relaxing for the first time in several days and it was all because of one cop who could see right through her and straight into her heart.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I enjoyed this. Let me know what you think._

**Chapter 9**

"Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"Mac, turn around, please."

"Wha-" he began.

_Slap!_

Mac blinked as he felt the sting of the impact from Randi's gloves. He raised a hand to his face and stared in confusion and shock at Randi. She had just slapped him with her soft leather gloves and now she had her hands on her hips, coat pushed back, tapping one heeled foot against the lab linoleum floor, and was glaring at him. She wore a lady's wool Victorian vintage frock coat in dark blue, a lady's 49er velvet and burgundy paisley-print vest, white 1880's wing tip men's shirt, black shoestring tie, and tan saddle pants. Granny boots were on her feet, a black 1800's gambler's hat on her head, and soft leather gloves, the same gloves that had just struck Mac's face, were in her hands. Her workbag sat near her feet. Aside from her bag, she looked like she'd just stepped out of _Lonesome Dove_ or _Deadwood_ or any other western movie or show. All she was missing was a gun belt and a pair of six-shooters.

"I knew you were smart but I didn't know you had a PhD in behaving like a jackass," she said.

"What did I do this time?" he asked.

"It's late, Mac, very late, in case you haven't looked at the clock lately," she said. "I've been told by a very reliable source that you've been busting your ass off on this murder case for damn near forty-eight hours straight." She didn't tell him that the source had been one Lindsey Monroe who had just finished griping to her about Mac's behavior in the breakroom, where she'd stopped to grab a cup of coffee before heading home for the night. Glad for a sympathetic ear on Randi's part, Lindsey had vented and Randi had offered to step in provided Lindsey looked after Fabio while she did it, an offer Lindsey had gladly taken her up on. That had resulted in Randi slapping Mac with her gloves the moment he'd turned around to face her. It hadn't been a hard slap, just enough to get his attention.

"Yes, so?" Mac snapped.

"So, I hate to break it to ya, sweetie, but you are not gonna catch this guy on fumes. What's going to happen is you're going to start making mistakes and those mistakes are going to cost you," she shot back.

Mac opened his mouth but before he could speak, Randi gently placed one finger on his mouth, silencing him. She reached behind him and hooked a lab stool with her foot and pulled it towards him. Then she shoved him down and gently began massaging his shoulders.

"Mac, you have excellent people and they are working just as hard as you to catch Mr. Twinkle-toes before he strikes again, but you are not going to catch him tonight. You and the others need rest, you especially," she said gently. "Put the case aside and come back tomorrow morning with a clear head." She tugged his head so he now rested against her stomach and gently rubbed his head. "You know I'm right."

He sighed tiredly. He hated to admit it, but Randi _was_ right. He was dead tired and pushing everyone, including himself just a bit too hard. Rest, and then they could attack the case in the morning with fresh eyes. He just hoped he could make it home in one piece since he was so tired he was starting to see double. The couch in his office was looking mighty tempting.

"C'mon, sweetie, we're going home," she said. He nodded, deciding he would take a cab home rather than risk trying to drive as tired as he was.

Randi dragged him out of the lab, snagged Fabio's leash from Lindsey and said to her, Danny, Sheldon, and Stella, who had wisely vacated the lab when Randi had entered, "Go home, guys. I'm taking this lunk-head home for the night."

"Watch the insults!" Mac protested.

Randi just looked at him and said, "Bite me." She let him stop by his office long enough to get his coat and tie, and then she swiped his keys.

"I thought you didn't drive," Mac said as she herded him towards his car.

"I don't own a car, Mac, but that doesn't mean I don't keep my driver's license up-to-date and that also doesn't mean I don't keep my insurance up-to-date. I do drive once in a while. I just prefer not to when I'm in the city," she shot back as she buckled him into the passenger seat of the car before buckling Fabio in the backseat.

Mac sighed tiredly; he really didn't feel like arguing with Randi right now. As Randi made her way through the city, he found himself dozing off in the passenger seat. He only woke up when Randi finally parked.

"Randi, why are we at your place?" he asked, staring at the familiar building that was Randi's home.

"Because I don't trust you to try and attack that case before six a.m. So, if you're at my place, I can at least guarantee that you'll get some rest," she replied. She looked at him and smiled. "Trust me, I'm not gonna jump your bones tonight so you're perfectly safe with me." She got out of the car as he unbuckled himself and got himself out and watched as she got Fabio out. "Besides, consider yourself honored. I let very few guys ever stay at my place. You're the major exception."

He chuckled as she led him up the stairs to the building. It took less than a few minutes to get to Randi's apartment, which was on the fourth floor of a very nice building complete with elevator.

Randi's apartment turned out to be just like Randi, eccentric. Outside her apartment was a small red stone Feng Shui lion guarding the door. Inside, colorful fabrics and prints decorated the windows and walls, furniture and knick-knacks from various time periods were all over the place. Mac even spotted what looked like a set of swords neatly arranged on the wall, the blades gleaming in the light. She had a basic entertainment system, complete with a recordable DVD player but it didn't look like she spent too much time in front of the TV.

The kitchen, living room, and dining room all opened up to each other and a hallway lead to Randi's bedroom and bathroom. It was a small, simple apartment but for Mac, it was _cozy_, which was the only word he could really find to describe the place. It was like the place was inviting him to come in, sit down, and put his feet up, maybe even doze for a bit. And that was exactly what he wanted to do.

After removing his outer coat and jacket and hanging them on a polished cherry wood coat tree, Randi gently shoved Mac towards her bedroom. Her bed turned out to be a king-size four-poster bed made of a dark solid wood and decorated with colorful blankets. A dress dummy stood off to one corner covered in various fabrics and hats. Even Randi's mirror had fabrics draped around it. Her closet was shut but he wouldn't be surprised if he found more eye-popping colors and fabrics. Fabio had a bed-basket in the corner of the room and, after being released from his harness, snuffled over to the basket, crawled in, curled up, and promptly went to sleep.

There was something about her bed, though, that made Mac want to simply sink down into the apparent softness of it and just sleep for a very long time. In fact, before he was even aware of it, Randi was removing his dress shirt and undershirt. She didn't go after his pants but she did reach into one drawer and pull out a pair of men's soft flannel pajama pants, which she tossed to him with a smile before vanishing to the bathroom. Chuckling, he changed into the pants, which were surprisingly comfortable, placed his cell on the table beside the bed, and crawled between the covers of the bed.

He'd been wrong; the bed was _way_ more comfortable than it had originally looked. He was nearly in Dreamland when Randi finally came back. She snapped off the bedroom light and crawled in to bed beside him, placing her cell phone beside the bed for easy reach. She snuggled up to him and, to his surprise, found she was wearing cotton shorts and shirt.

She chuckled as she felt his hands exploring her and said, "Go to sleep, Mac. Time for hanky-panky at a later date."

He chuckled and relaxed. Within moments, he was asleep.

The next morning Mac apologized to his friends for his behavior, an apology they accepted. Lindsey only had one question.

"What was Randi's place like?" she asked, curious.

Mac smiled, remembering how it felt to wake up with Randi in his arms. She always looked good during the day, but in the light of the morning, with no make-up on and her hair tousled, she had looked downright desirable. He'd had a hell of a fight with himself not to make love to her right there and then. "Like Randi," was all he said.

"I hear you have Randi Wilcox doing an appraisal here," insurance investigator Steve Yu said later as he and Mac studied a possible fraud case.

"Yes, we do," Mac said. "You know her?"

"Eccentric style of dress, walking whirl-wind some days, but she knows her stuff," Steve said.

Mac chuckled. "Yup, that's Randi."

"Really wish we could get her on this case but I asked Jason Hodges about that and he said something about budget restrictions."

"She's done fraud cases before?"

"Several. She's got a real bad thing about people who try to pass off knock-off's as the good stuff. Her work's led to several arrests."

Mac smiled. "In that case, let's go talk to Randi."

"What about Hodges?"

"What about him?"

Steve grinned.

"Got a minute, Randi?" Mac asked Randi. They had found her in the storage room that had become her temporary office. She was working on her final appraisal report and her shoes were off with one foot absently rubbing Fabio's tummy.

"Always," she replied, looking up from her laptop. "Hi Steve. You kick anybody's butt lately?"

"Only in my dreams, girl, only in my dreams," Steve replied, grinning.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Randi asked.

"Can you recommend an appraiser who works relatively cheap?" Mac asked. "We've got a possible fraud case on our hands but Hodges is saying we can't ask you because of budget restrictions."

"He did, huh? Lemme have a look," she replied, doing a "give" gesture. He gave her the file, barely concealing a smile. She flipped through the papers and her eyebrows went up. "Vandersteen? As in Byron T. Vandersteen the Third?"

"You know him?" Mac asked.

"Mac, I've been trying to bring this guy _down_ since he showed _up_," Randi replied, using her hand to emphasise.

"Now's your chance," Steve said.

"Your mom still make those little flower cookies?" she asked him.

Steve grinned. "I'll tell her to expect you tomorrow."

"Goody. Where's the stuff being held?"

"In one of the labs," Mac said.

Randi looked down at her dog and said, "Sorry, Fab, but it looks like it's Doggy Day Care and Nyanya again for you." Fabio just yawned.

"But what about Hodges?" Mac asked.

"What about him? For a case like this, I work cheap."

"How cheap?"

"Keep the coffee pot filled and lend me the name of a trace lab tech I can bully once in a while when I need a chemical analysis done."

"Done."

Randi studied the file gleefully. "_Stewie's gonna be pissed off but I don't care!_" she said in a sing-song voice. "Give me an hour to boot Fabio over to Nyanya and then I'll get to work on this."

"We'll be waiting," Mac said, smiling.

"Boss is going to be happy," Steve said, grinning as he left the room.

"Thanks, Randi. I really appreciate this," Mac said.

She smiled and held out her hand, which he took. She then tugged him towards her and pulled him down for a kiss. "Anything for you."

He smiled back and gently touched her face affectionately before leaving the room.

"Oh, Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"You were very comfortable to sleep next to."

He chuckled. "So were you," he replied.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Ladies and gentlmen, meet Catherine Wilcox._

**Chapter 10**

"Danny?" Stella asked.

"Yeah?"

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

She showed him a sign that had been taped to the door of the lab for the last hour. In large, neatly printed letters it said, "QUIET PLEASE." Underneath, in smaller letters, it said "Nervous breakdown in progress."

"This was taped to the door of the lab for the last hour," Stella explained, grinning.

"So that's why I've had peace and quiet lately!" Danny said, starting to see the humor in the situation as he started grinning. "Whose handwriting is this?"

"I don't know," Stella said.

"I do," Mac said as he came in to the lab. "It's Randi's."

"Randi did this?" Danny asked.

"That's her handwriting so I'm guessing she stuck it on the door when you weren't looking," Mac said. "It's her idea of a joke."

Danny just shook his head in amusement and chuckled. "How's she doing on the fraud case?"

Randi had been working steadily on the Vandersteen fraud case for the last two days and, with the exception of the occasional breakroom pop-by, almost no one had seen hide nor hair of her. When she'd spoken to Mac, he got the impression she was working like the devil to bring down Vandersteen. He worried about her though. He knew her sister, Catherine, was due to show up soon and Stewart had raised merry hell about her little volunteer stint, creating additional stress on top of everything else. She'd gone home late last night and shown up early this morning.

"She's been working pretty hard. Last I heard, she said she'd have the final report ready by tomorrow," Mac said.

"Has anyone checked on her lately?" Stella asked.

"I was just about to do so, provided she hasn't gone home already," Mac said.

"If she has, drag her home. That girl is working way too hard as it is and I don't feel like picking her up off the floor any time soon," Danny quipped.

Mac chuckled. He left the lab and headed to find Randi. Sure enough, she was in the lab that had become her new temporary office. She had her head in her arms and was fast asleep from the looks of it. A cold cup of coffee sat nearby, next to a legal pad and pen, and her laptop hummed. In a hot pink and black velvet corset top, black ankle-length split A-line skirt with white lace edging, matching crop jacket, and thigh-high black lace-up boots with a five inch heel, she looked sexy and soft at the same time, especially with her hair curling around her face.

He gently brushed her forehead and she stirred. "Hmm?" she asked as she slowly woke up.

"You've been working too hard again," he said, smiling affectionately.

"Yeah. Really want to nail the bastard," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, you will, but it's time you went home," he said.

"'Kay." She stood up, moved away from her chair and bent over so her fingers were touching the floor. One of the things Mac had learned about Randi over the last few weeks was that she regularly took Yoga classes and was reasonably flexible as a result. Her stretching like the way she was now had caused quite a number of accidents, mostly from guys not watching where they were going.

"Tell you what; I'll take you home," Mac said. "Just give me a minute to grab my coat."

"'Kay," she said tiredly. Mac helped her into her coat; it was the Union coat he'd seen her wear the first day at the NYPD. Apparently it was an accurate copy of the original design and not the real thing, which made sense, since the Civil War had been a hundred-and-forty-one years ago and any clothing surviving from that time period would be in a museum, not Randi's closet.

Then Mac helped her turn off her laptop and turn off the lab lights. She was nearly asleep on her feet and Mac found himself guiding her much like he would a sleepwalker. That was when he decided to simply take her to his home, rather than hers. Less of a hassle and he seriously doubted she notice until she woke up the next morning with the way she was going.

She was nearly out of it again when he sat her on his office couch long enough for him to grab his own coat and tie before leading her out of the office and locking the door. They passed Stella and Danny, who were also on their way out and both grinned.

"Need a hand?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, you take my keys and I'll take her before she falls asleep on her feet," Mac said, handing the CSI his keys. Then he scooped Randi up in his arms, who simply snuggled against him in her sleep, and followed Danny to his car. There, he bundled Randi in the passenger side and, after thanking Danny, drove to his apartment.

Thankfully, Randi was reasonably easy for him to get in to the apartment because she was not quite asleep but not quite awake, enabling her to walk, with some assistance. Once inside the apartment, Mac removed Randi's boots and coat and coaxed her awake enough to convince her to clean her face of make-up and get undressed enough to put on one of his old shirts and drawstring shorts. This she did while he grabbed a quick shower. When he came back into the bedroom, having traded his work clothes for pajama bottoms, she was already in bed and sound asleep, and Mac thought she looked absolutely adorable. The moment he climbed in to bed, she snuggled up next to him, murmuring something in her sleep, and he just smiled. He was actually starting to enjoy her sleeping next to him.

"Night, Randi," he said, snapping off the light.

Randi bounced into the Interrogation Room the next day, wearing a white suit with fitted jacket and gold detailing, sparkling turquoise ankle boots with gold detailing and four inch spike heel, and a satin white and gold camisole with a draped neckline. A gold chain belt sat on her low-rise pants, gold earrings swung from her ears, and her hair was piled high and held in place with pretty chopsticks decorated with hibiscuses. She held a file in one hand and a devilish grin on her face.

Randi had slept very well the previous night and woken up this morning only mildly confused at waking up beside Mac when she wasn't quite sure how she got there. But then, after her confusion cleared, she'd woken him up with butterfly kisses and bought him coffee as a way of saying 'thank you' for looking after her.

"Hello Byron! Long time no see! Where ya been, man?" she chirped cheerfully as she handed Steve the file and nodded cheerfully to Flack, who was also in the room.

"Miranda, a pleasure to see you, as always," Byron said pleasantly. Byron was a thirties while man with black hair neatly combed in place and wearing a top-of-the-line Armani suit. "I take it you're doing well?"

"Oh I'm doing absolutely _great_, especially since I'm about to bust your ass!" she said cheerfully.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Ms. Wilcox," Byron's lawyer, Andrew Ridgewood said cautiously.

Steve started chuckling as he read the file over again. "Do you recall, sir, us mentioning that we would be bringing in a private appraiser?"

"Yes, I do," Andrew said.

"Randi was the appraiser and she just spent the last two days examining your client's items. I have here, in my hand, a signed appraiser listing your client's items as being worth a _fraction _of what you originally tried to tell me they were worth," Steve said.

"That means fraud, bud, and that means some very serious charges," Flack said easily.

"Aa-and, this will hold up in court too!" Randi said. "It's signed, stamped, and yada-yada-yada. After this, I don't think any insurance company's gonna look too kindly at you for a quite a while. Have a nice day, Byro." And with that, she bounced out of the room, leaving a chuckling Steve and a grinning Flack.

Randi was in such a good mood that she decided to snag Mac for lunch and if he couldn't go for lunch because of work then she was going to steal Angel away and hit one of the nicer places. As it was, Mac was heading out and when he saw her literally bouncing his way, he grinned.

"You finished the fraud case?" he asked.

"Yup! Wanna join me for lunch?" she asked, threading her arm through his and grinning up at him after placing a kiss on his cheek.

Mac chuckled. "I would love to but –" he began reluctantly.

"You've been snagged by Dispatch, right?"

"I'm afraid so."

"That's okay. I can always grab Angel. God knows I owe that girl," she said cheerfully.

He smiled. "You're in a good mood."

"Yup! Brought down Big-mouth Byron and he's going down and gonna stay down this time! The sun is shining, I've got a prince of my very own, I look good, I feel good, and I'm in such a good mood that nobody and nuttin' can bring me down!" she said, snuggling against him, causing him to chuckle again.

"_Well, well, well. Some things never change. You never really have shown any restraint with yourself in public and I see, despite my constant advice, that hasn't changed a bit,_" came a cold, haughty female voice from behind them. "_You still choose to act like a brainless teenage girl. Really, Miranda, you can do so much better than that, especially since you're supposed to be a Wilcox._"

"Except that," Randi muttered, all her sunshine vanishing at once.

The couple turned around and found a woman dressed to the nines in a fitted, high-quality skirt, suit, and shoes of wine, a cream colored blouse, and a matching handbag. She had black hair, just like Randi and the facial features were similar, but there the resemblance ended. Where Randi was sunshine, cuddles, mischievously impish, and laughter, this woman was cool and polished, resembling more of a walking ice queen than a person. She also oozed sex, but unlike Randi, hers was intentional. She was a knockout and she knew it and everything about her expected the rest of the world to know it as well.

"_Helloooo_ Catherine," Randi said. Darn, there went her day.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: okay, my muse would not shut up until I wrote this chapter. Now, it's almost 2:30 in the morning. I am going to bed but please, please don't forget to R and R! Many thanks!_

**Chapter 11**

"Hey guys, mind if I join you?" came Randi's voice.

Mac, Stella, Danny, Lindsey, Sheldon, and Flack were all at Sullivan's, taking a break from their caseloads. It had been a few days since Catherine had showed up at the NYPD and Randi had since then finished her work there.

Mac had not taken to Catherine at all, especially when she had hit on him pretty heavily the next day. She had even suggested that, of the two available Wilcox women, she might be the better choice compared to her "rather, how shall we say, _eccentric_" sister. Mac had politely but coldly turned her down.

Then Catherine had tried the same thing with Danny, Sheldon, and Flack and gotten the same result. However, it was Danny who had really managed to anger her and had caused Randi to spend the next few minutes giggling like crazy.

Very bluntly, in typical Danny-fashion, Danny had said, "Oh, I'll consider tangling with you but on one condition."

"And that is?" Catherine asked seductively, flashing him her cleavage.

"You dance stark naked on top of the Empire Building in a forty below snow storm."

"Not likely to happen," she had spat out.

"Same here, because I'd rather screw a corpse than deal with you. At least a corpse would have a bit more life." And with that, he had sauntered off, leaving a spluttering Catherine.

Neither Stella nor Lindsey had taken to Catherine either, having seen right through her "charming" personality and both had quietly wondered just how Randi could be related to the woman when the two sisters were clearly completely opposite in personality and clothing type.

Now Mac scooted over and made room for Randi. Today she wore a black _Collin Raye_ t-shirt, embroidered low-rise jeans, red ankle boots, cowboy hat, and a denim duster.

"You doing okay?" Mac asked as she sat down with a groan.

"No, I'm busy hiding from Cathy. I had almost forgotten just how much she could bitch," Randi replied. The waitress came over and Randi ordered a Bud, sans glass. When it came, she neatly popped the tab and took a healthy swallow.

"You trying to get drunk?" Flack asked, watching in amazement.

"No, actually, I'm not. This is nothing to get worried about," Randi said, setting her beer down. "When I hit the vodka, _then_ it's time to get nervous."

"What's your poison?" Lindsey asked, curious.

"A drink called Godmother," Randi said.

"Never heard of it," Sheldon said.

"Ever heard of one called Godfather?" Randi asked.

"I have. It's Amaretto and scotch on ice," Flack said.

"Right. Well Godmother is the softer version and uses vodka instead of scotch. Still packs a hell of a whoalop," Randi explained. "If I'm really trying to get drunk, which I haven't done in a long time, I can go through several glasses in about five minutes. That's when you know there's a problem."

"Ouch," Stella said, wincing.

"But I'm not there yet, trust me. After I finish this, I've got a few more places to hit before I'm done for the day, including swinging by a dress shop to pick up my dress for the Fabré ball, which is in two days, _and_ find a pair of Cinderella shoes for the dress," Randi said.

"I thought you hated those things," Mac commented.

"I do, oh how I do, but my parents are going to be there and Mom basically threatened to crucify me if I didn't show up as a member of the Wilcox family," Randi said. "Unfortunately, Stewie and Cathy are going to be there as well. Imagine just how much fun that's going to be, especially since I've managed to seriously piss off Stewie recently, not that I give a damn, but put him and Cathy in the same room together…."

Everyone winced.

Several nights later, Mac was working late. He knew it was the night of the Fabré ball and Randi had quietly admitted to him that she wished he was going with her, if only to have one dance with him and maybe stop her from killing Catherine and Stewart. He had smiled and said something about next time. She had assured him that, come hell or high water, there would be a next time. Privately though, he wished he was with her. He wondered what she looked like in her dress and decided that, no matter what, she probably looked beautiful.

Someone knocked on his door and he looked up from his musings. His jaw dropped open. Standing before him was a vision of beauty in the form of Randi Wilcox.

She wore an organza, ankle-length dress of dark purple with a full A-line skirt. A pleated overskirt in matching fabric went over the skirt but under the over-corset. The corset had a deep "v" neck and back, firm cups decorated with black lace, dark green fabric "leaves" and soft purple "roses". The back of the corset was laced up with black lace and had a modesty panel. Attached to the corset were off-the-shoulder split angel sleeves in dark purple organza and trailed down to her elbows. On her feet were clear three-inch "Cinderella" heel pumps and she had a matching dark purple satchel.

Randi's hair was piled on top of her head in a twist that allowed tendrils of her hair to curl around her face. Sparkling cubic zirconium earrings dangled from her ears and a matching necklace drew attention to her slender neck. Her make-up had been perfectly done to draw attention to her already lovely features, making her appear even more beautiful, if such a thing was possible.

"Hi," she said, smiling shyly.

"Hi," he said, standing up as he stared at her. "Aren't you supposed to be at the ball?"

"Umm, yeah, I'm heading that way but Stella and Lindsey said they had something for me and they said they left it with you," Randi said, coming closer.

Mac quickly found the little box the two CSI's had left, mentioning that Randi would probably be by for it later. He hadn't realized that later meant later that night. He picked it up, went around the desk and handed it to her, still unable to take his eyes off of her. Smiling shyly, she opened the box and gasped in wonder. Inside was a small tiara made from cubic zirconium crystals, a tiara fit for a princess or, in this case, for Randi.

"Will you help me?" she asked as she lifted the gift from the box.

Mac took the tiara and carefully placed it on Randi's head, catching a whiff of her perfume, something that was sexy yet soft, just like Randi.

"You look beautiful," he said.

She smiled and ducked her head, blushing. Then he smiled impishly and went over to his sound system. It was primarily used for listening to any recordings his CSIs brought him, but this time he knew he had a waltz on a CD somewhere. Sure enough, he found it and quickly popped it in. Within seconds, _Sweet Memory Waltz_ with Vince Gill and Byron Berline filled the room. Watching as Randi's face lit up, he went up to her and assumed a perfect formal soldier stance before offering his hand.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" he asked.

Her smile became soft and misty as she placed her hand in his and said softly, "You may, my lord."

His hand went to her hip and her hand to his shoulder and together, they waltzed around the office in time to the music, obvious to the world.

For Randi, it was the most magical dance she'd ever known, as well as the most special. Mac Taylor, good-looking dedicated cop and CSI, former Marine, scientist at heart, mean SOB when he'd been crossed, had quietly wormed his way in to her heart. She hadn't been too sure about him at first, wondering if he ever smiled when she first saw him at the café all those weeks ago, but now she knew he did. He also had a really nice, easy laugh. He had accepted her for all her odd quirks, even Fabio and their little mishaps, and treated her as an equal but made her feel like a woman, especially when he held her at night the way he had the last time she'd slept in his arms. That was the other thing that had drawn her to him; he hadn't tried to get into her panties the first time they'd shared a bed together. Instead, he'd said that would happen, but only when the time was right for both of them.

She knew that, no matter what happened or how things worked out between them, she would always treasure the memory of this dance because, for her, it was the night she danced with not just any prince, but her prince.

The ball had gone reasonably well, Randi thought. She'd run into a few people she knew and had exchanged pleasantries and a few dances with some of them. Even the conversation with her parents had been reasonably civil, especially when they had been discussing her recent work with the NYPD. That had interested a number of people, especially when she mentioned the Vandersteen fraud case. Naturally she couldn't really say a lot about the case until it went to court but she said enough to keep the gossip going for weeks. Every now and then, though, the memory of her dance with Mac would creep into her mind and a small smile would come across her face, leaving a lot of people wondering just what was going through the woman's head. All in all, it was turning out to be a reasonably pleasant evening.

"_I really do wish she would stop acting like such a brainless bimbo and come to her senses,_" a male voice said as Randi ducked around a corner for a moment of privacy and to take her feet out of her shoes, which were starting to ache a bit. Yeah, she wore heels a lot but she also sat down regularly. She'd been on her feet and moving about for almost five hours straight, including the very memorable dance with Mac.

Randi instantly recognized the voice. It was Stewart. Curious, she listened in. Then her blood went cold as she heard her sister's voice.

"_She's always been that way, even when we were kids. I have absolutely no idea what people see in her, especially with the way she acts and dresses. And that dress she's wearing? My lord, how embarrassed I am to even be associated with her. She's supposed to be a Wilcox and yet she doesn't even have the grace to dress like one, yet alone act like one._"

"_She's so absorbed in her antiques that she can't wake up and smell the money. If I had it my way, that stupid bitch she calls a secretary would be gone, replaced with someone more competent, and I'd be bringing in the more bigger money contracts,_" Stewart said.

"_Then why haven't you done it?_"

"_Because she's got that jackass of a lawyer watching everything very closely. I can't even get her to sign a contract without him looking it over. Stupid prick. She says she doesn't trust me, after that Fellany business. I did what I thought was best for the business but what Randi wants, Randi gets, just like the spoilt little girl she is. Even watching her pant after that rent-a-cop, Mac Taylor, like some bitch in heat, it was absolutely sickening._"

"_So get rid of her. I have the contacts and the know-how. I can take over her business for you, make it yours and make her work for you rather than the other way around._"

"_My, my, aren't you a vindictive little madam._"

Catherine's voice went ice cold. "_That little slut of a sister of mine has always had things handed to her on a plate. I'm always quite happy to take her little toys away. What's one more thing?_" Then her voice went seductive. "_You know, you and I could always have a little fun of our own and I know just the place._"

"_I like the way you think…._" Stewart said, and they moved away.

Tears coursed down Randi's face. Never, in her whole life, had she heard such hurtful words as she had just heard. She was too embarrassed to go back to the ball after that, knowing what her sister and business partner thought of her. _Brainless bimbo. Spoilt little girl. Bitch in heat. Little slut of a sister_. God, how those words hurt, hurt beyond belief. Was that how everyone saw her as?

Fumbling in her satchel, she reached for her cell phone and quickly turned it off. She didn't want to talk to anyone, to hear from anyone. She just wanted to get away from it all. Sobbing, she picked up her skirts and quickly cut through the lobby of the ballroom, ignoring anyone who called out to her in her desperation to escape. Once she was outside, she started running. Where she was going, she didn't know and didn't care. Then the rain started.

Within moments, Randi was soaked to the skin. Shivering, she took refuge inside a doorway with a pair of hookers. They looked at her sympathetically.

"Hey honey, what are you doing out here in this weather?" one asked kindly, noting the way she was dressed.

"I-I," she stuttered.

"It's okay, sugar. Bad date?" the other hooker asked, kindly. Randi nodded jerkily, shivering from the cold and the damp. Then she looked around at her surroundings. She was in an area she was sure she was familiar with, one that could take her to the one place she really wanted to be right now. Her feet were absolutely killing her.

"Where am I?" she asked.

The hookers told her and she nodded. Yes, she was about a few blocks away from her new target. Taking off her shoes, she handed them to the ladies. "These are killing my feet. Take them," she said. "After tonight I seriously doubt I'll ever wear the damn things again."

"What about you, honey? Where are you going to go?" the first hooker asked, amazed by her generosity.

"The only place I feel safe right now," Randi replied, taking off into the rain again. This time she knew where she was going.

It was late at night but the memory of his dance with Randi still sat on his mind. Mac was debating with himself to call her to see how she was doing when his door buzzer rang, which was odd for this time of night, especially since it was absolutely pouring outside.

"Hello?" he asked, pressing the intercom button.

"_Mac? Mac, it's me, Randi! Please, Mac, please let me come in!_" came Randi's voice.

"Randi? Randi, what the heck are you doing out here at this time of night?" he demanded.

"_Freezing my ass off, that's what!_"

Mac quickly pressed the door button and, as a precaution, reached for his weapon. Yeah, it was Randi's voice but one never knew the situation. A moment later, someone rapped on the door and Mac looked out the peephole. Then he was unlocking the door and flinging it open. Randi stood there, soaked to the skin, shivering and barefoot, looking nothing like the beautiful woman he'd seen a few hours before. Now she looked bedraggled and absolutely miserable.

"Randi? What the hell happened?" he demanded, hauling her inside and in to his arms. Then, to his everlasting surprise, she burst in to tears.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: thanks again for the reviews and for reading this. I'd start getting seriously worried about Catherine and Stewart if I were you as they are going to find out in the near future what happens when you make the mistake of crossing one Randi Wilcox._

**Chapter 12**

Mac looked at the huddled, forlorn mass that was Randi. Gone was the sparkle, the infectious spirit, the bubbly personality that made Randi, Randi. In its place was a shivering, tired, sniffling woman with limp black hair, a soaking wet dress, bare feet, and a defeated air about her. She had just finished bawling her eyes out on his shoulder while he'd held her. He had hauled her into the bathroom and wrapped a towel around her, trying to get her dry before she caught a cold or worse.

"What happened, Randi?" he asked gently. When she looked at him with dull eyes, he hugged her, trying to comfort her. "Randi, I know you and Stewart have been having some serious problems, namely caused by Stewart. I want to help you, both as a cop and as someone who cares, but I can't do anything if you don't talk to me," he coaxed.

Haltingly, Randi began talking. She told him about what she'd overheard Catherine and Stewart had said about her and about what they were planning. Mac had to fight with himself to hold on to his temper. He was going to kill Stewart and Catherine, or at least hurt the miserable pair as much as he could. But right now, Randi needed him.

"I'm sorry, Mac, about showing up on your doorstep like this, but after what I just heard, I just couldn't go home, not right now," she admitted.

"It's okay, sweetheart, it's okay. You grab a warm shower and throw me your dress. I've got some dry clothes I can rustle up for you and I'll leave them outside the door for you, okay? And when you're done, come into the kitchen and I'll have something warm for you to eat," Mac soothed. "And we'll talk some more then but first, you need to warm up before you get sick."

She nodded and stood up, unpinning her hair and carefully setting her little tiara on the counter. Then she turned around and asked, "Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"I hate to ask this, but would you mind undoing the back of my dress for me? I think the rain may have made the knot a bit difficult and I can't see back there," she admitted.

Mac pulled the corset lacing out from its hiding spot and set to work on undoing the knot. It was a simple bowknot, but Randi was right; normally it would have been easy to undo but because of the rain, it was made a bit more difficult and as it was, it took a few minutes to undo it. He managed, though, and loosened the corset laces. He had to fight with himself to not place butterfly kisses on her soft bare shoulders or help her finish taking the dress off. As it was, she was holding the corset up to cover her breasts and, if it weren't for the fact that he knew she wasn't trying to be seductive and that she was cold and tired, Mac could have been forgiven for thinking otherwise, especially when she looked at him in the mirror.

As it was, he couldn't resist giving her a backwards hug and placing a single kiss on her shoulder. "Go have your shower, sweetheart. Put your dress outside and you'll find clean clothes there. I'll be in the kitchen. Everything will be okay, I promise."

She nodded and he quickly left the bathroom before he gave into his own desires.

After Mac left, Randi quickly removed her clothes and jewelry and stepped into the shower. As the warm water cascaded over her, she began to warm up and as she warmed up, rational thinking returned to her. She was going to have to do something about Stewart and Catherine and she was going to have to do something fast.

True to his word, there were clean clothes waiting for her outside the bathroom door. The clean clothes turned out to be a sweat suit from Mac's Academy days, complete with thick socks, but they were warm and cozy and that was all that mattered to her right now, even though she had to go bra-less due to the fact that her bra had been the corset and she wasn't putting that on again just yet.

After she'd dried off, tidied up the bathroom, removed her mascara, and dried her hair as best as possible, she went into the kitchen where Mac waited. The warm meal was cream of tomato soup with hot coffee for a beverage but that was okay with Randi. She was warm and safe and, more importantly, with the man who had quietly stolen her heart.

After they ate, they moved to the living room. Randi turned her cell back on and placed it on the table beside Mac's, in case someone called, now that she was willing to talk to someone.

Mac's couch was big enough for them to lie side by side comfortably and that's what they did, with Randi's head on his chest and a blanket over them as they watched the late evening news. Mac had removed his work clothes some time ago, changing into comfortable jeans and sweatshirt. When he'd seen Randi in his sweats, he had to admit she looked downright adorable and innocent, especially with her curly black hair all over the place.

Now he was fighting with himself tooth and nail not to become aroused by Randi being in his sweats and lying full-length against him, more so because he had just realized she wasn't wearing a bra. "_She's hurting right now! The last thing she needs is a horny prick like you!_" he told himself ferociously. To distract himself, he asked her what she was going to do.

"Well, I sure as hell can't let Stewart take over my business. And what Catherine said and threatened to do, that was way out of line. Their behavior can't be permitted to continue," she admitted. "Really wish I could make Angel my business partner; it would save a whole lotta hassle. I swear that girl knows the business nearly as well as I do."

"Then why don't you just fire Stewart and make her your business partner?" Mac asked, propping one arm behind his head and looking at her.

"I'd need a new secretary?" she asked sheepishly, propping her chin on her hands and her hands on his chest. Mac laughed. "You're right; I can always get a new secretary, which easier to do than get a new business partner. She did say all I had do was fire Stewie and we'd talk when I made a crack about having her as my business partner instead of Stewie."

"Does he have a contract?"

"Nothing beyond the usual, which means I can't fire him without justifiable cause, but in this case… I think I have justifiable cause; plotting with my sister to try and take over my business would be classified as justifiable cause for firing." She sighed heavily and said, "And then I'll just let Angel chose the new secretary. I trust her enough."

"At least you trust somebody," he quipped.

"I trust you," she shot back.

"Good to hear," he said, grinning as his hand gently stroked her back.

Then her cell phone went off. Growling, she reached for it. It was a number she recognized and scowling, she flipped it open and punched a button, knowing if she didn't at least answer the phone, her mother would worry and fuss and she didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, not when she was about to create some major hell in the near future.

"Hello?"

"_Miranda, dear, it's your mother. Are you okay?_"

"I'm fine, Mom," she replied as she rolled her eyes and settled more comfortably against Mac, liking the feel of his hand against her back.

"_Are you sure? You left the party so quickly and quietly that it took a while before anyone noticed you were gone,_" Brenda Wilcox said.

"I'm sure, Mom. I'm some place safe right now, trust me. I just-I over-heard some stuff between my business partner and Catherine and what was said really hurt. After that, well, it's called salvaging your dignity for a reason, Mom."

"_Listen, I know you and Catherine haven't always gotten along but-_"

"But there's a limit as to what I'm willing to put up with and being referred to as a little slut who's always had everything handed to her on a plate, that's pushing it a bit far. Oh, and let's not forget Stewart's comment about my chasing after a so-called rent-a-cop like a bitch in heat, which was an insult to both me and Mac, who happens to be one of the finest cops I've ever known." Mac raised an eyebrow at this and grinned.

Brenda went silent for a moment.

"Look Mom, Catherine and I never have seen see eye-to-eye and we probably never will. I've tried repeatedly to get along with her but her behavior, well, let's just say enough is enough. I don't appreciate anyone threatening to take my business away from me simply because they enjoy taking my 'toys' away from me. As for Stewart, he doesn't know it but he's finished. Nobody threatens me. Nobody," Randi said.

"_Is there anything I can do?_" Brenda asked quietly.

"I'm afraid not. This is one fight you're going to need to stay out of, no matter what, Mom, okay? It's been a long time coming and there are going to be some major changes in the near future. Both Catherine and Stewart are going to find out what happens when they cross the wrong person, namely me."

"_All right, dear. I may not like this, but I understand your need to take care of things yourself. You've always been independent, just like your grandmother. In fact, in a lot of ways, you're like your grandmother,_" Brenda said after a long moment.

"Who do you think was my role-model growing up, Mom?" Randi asked quietly.

"_I know, sweetie. I know. We'll talk more later, and I want to meet this gentleman you're seeing._"

"See what I can do," Randi said. They said good-bye and Randi shut her cell, putting it on the table.

"Thank you for the compliment," Mac said, smiling.

"I was telling the truth," she said.

"I believe you."

"Good. Now, have I thanked you lately for putting up with me right now?"

"You have and you're more than welcome, Randi. I've told you before if I can help you, I will." His hand slid into her hair and began gently massaging her skull. She moaned in pleasure at the contact.

"How about I show you my appreciation, rather than thanking you verbally?" she whispered huskily.

"I have no problems with that," he said, smiling.

She sat up, placed both hands on either side of his head, leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against his, teasing him. A shiver raced through her at the contact. Mac, his hands still in her hair, tugged her down more for a more deeper, hotter kiss, not satisfied with just the butterfly kiss. She was quite happy to comply with the silent demand.

The heat between them grew and he pulled her down so she was lying full-length on top of him. Then he rolled so they were on their sides, still kissing, and the heat continued to grow.

Finally they pulled apart, breathing hard. Randi had one leg draped across Mac's thighs, his hand was cupping her breast with one thumb teasing a nipple, and he had his hips pressed snuggly against her groin, letting her know the exact effect she had on him.

"You've got my heart, you know that?" she said huskily.

He smiled, touching her face tenderly. "In that case, I promise to take extra good care of it. I know you'll do the same with mine."

"I promise," she said. Then, "Where do we go from here?" she asked.

"I'm thinking we take things one day at a time. As much as I want nothing more than to haul you off to the bedroom and make love to you 'till the sun explodes, that's not going to happen just yet," he said, reluctantly removing his hand from her breast and settling it on her back. "I want to give us more time to build things and to make love to you when we're both ready. Right now, you're tired, you've been through an emotional roller coaster and you've got some major things on your plate. As much as I want to, and believe me I want to, it's not the right time."

She nodded. "I can live with that. But Mac, one small thing," she said.

"Oh?"

"Any more kisses like that and I don't give a damn what you think; I'll be jumping your bones and shredding your clothes so fast you'd think I was the female version of Wolverine."

And Mac laughed.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Sorry so long on the up-dates. I needed a bit of a break from all my stories and a chance for me to figure out where I wanted them to go. I confess, I'm great at creating the characters but when it comes to fleshing out a story, not so good. Again, as always, R and R and let me know whatcha think._

**Chapter 13**

Mac refused to let Randi walk home the next morning. Instead, he drove her home on his way to work and bought her a cup of coffee from their favorite place, knowing how much of a caffeine addict she was, even though he'd made her a cup of coffee earlier that morning. They had spent the night in each other's arms in his bed but had not made love as per their agreement even though it had been a tough fight for both of them, both mentally and physically.

"That's odd," Randi said, spotting Stewart's car outside of her apartment building.

Mac spotted the car too. "Is it possible he's waiting for you?" he asked.

"I don't know," she admitted, biting her lip.

"You want back-up?"

After a moment, she shook her head. "No, I'll be okay. If there's a problem, I'll call you, I promise."

"Call me anyway, just so I know everything is okay," he said, concern on his face.

"If it makes you feel better, then I promise you I'll call you as soon as I know what's going on," she promised. "You'll also run into me later on today because I have a meeting with Hodges to discuss my appraisal work."

He nodded. "If I see you, how about we grab coffee if I'm not busy?"

"Sounds good to me. Catch you later, sweetie, and thank you," she said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"What for?"

"For more than you ever realize," was all she said as she got out of the car, leaving him smiling.

He waited until he was sure she was safely inside the building before driving off.

Randi decided to take the elevator and take her chances on running into Stewart. If she did, she was going to be civil and not mention last night's little conversation between him and her sister, at least not yet. As for her sister, well, she was going to go 'buh-bye' in the near future.

Randi stepped out of the elevator, just in time to see the door of her apartment opening. She quickly ducked into the nearby stairwell to see what would happen. What happened had her jaw dropping.

Stewart stepped out of her apartment, turned, and dragged one Catherine Wilcox into his arms and kissed her soundly. Stewart's suit looked decidedly rumpled and Catherine was wearing nothing but a short, silky robe, her hair in a wild tangle around her face. It looked like Stewart had spent the night, not only in Catherine's arms, but in Randi's apartment. She felt cold anger burn through her.

Catherine had violated the only rule Randi had ever set down about her place; no visitors unless specifically cleared by her. She had not invited, nor had she ever wanted, Stewart at her place, her private sanctuary. Mac was the only man who had ever spent the night at her place with her full permission and even then, she and Mac hadn't gotten hippy. Catherine had not only broken Randi's rule, she'd also violated her trust. _Game over_.

Randi waited until Stewart had entered the elevator and was gone before she entered her apartment.

"You're back," Catherine said calmly, sitting at the kitchen table and sipping a cup of coffee.

"Yes, I am," Randi replied, setting her dress on the back of the couch. She would take it to the drycleaners as soon as possible.

"Where did you take off to?"

"To some place where I was a bit more welcome," Randi replied, refusing to go into any detail. "I need to be at a meeting in about two hours. As it is, I'm going to grab a shower and make a few phone calls."

"Fine," Catherine said.

"While I'm in the shower, which should take roughly half an hour, you are to pack your bags and get the hell out of my home."

Catherine did a double-take. "_Excuse me?_" she asked coldly, setting her cup down.

"You heard me. Get your stuff and get out. Leave the spare key on the kitchen table, call a cab, and get out," Randi said just as coldly. "You are no longer welcome here."

"And just what brought this _attitude_ of yours on, _little sister_?" Catherine hissed.

"You broke my trust and violated my sanctuary by screwing with Stewart in my home when I specifically asked you to never do that when you stayed here. I ask for so Goddamn little, Catherine. Sure, screw Stewie all you want but don't do it in my home, my private sanctuary," Randi said, standing her ground. "Not only that, but you were overheard saying I'd had everything handed to me on a plate and were also overheard conspiring with Stewie to take my business away from me, calling it a 'toy'. Not gonna happen, _sister dear_." She moved towards the bathroom, effectively turning her back on her sister. "Like I said, get out and don't you dare come back."

"Mom and Dad are going to hear about this!" Catherine yelled, livid with anger.

"That I have no doubt about but I wouldn't expect much help from them," Randi replied. "You have half an hour and then I call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing."

"That's just an empty threat!"

Randi calmly picked up her cell and flipped it open. She went through the numbers and settled on one.

"I have the NYPD precinct on speed-dial and a number of the officers there know me fairly well. I'm sure they'd be quite happy to assist me," Randi said, holding up her cell to show Catherine the screen. "Now, are you going to behave and be gone in half an hour, sans keys, or shall I make the call now and save us the hassle?"

Glaring at her, Catherine stalked over to her purse, dug around for a moment and pulled out a set of keys. Fiddling with the key chain, she pulled off two keys and practically threw them at Randi's face, which she easily caught. "You'll pay for this, you bitch," Catherine hissed.

Randi just shrugged and closed her cell. "Clock's ticking." With that, she went into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Randi's in a good mood," Stella commented as she and Mac studied a bunch of crime scene photographs from yesterday.

"You seen her?" Mac asked.

"I had to do a double-take because she looked like she just stepped right out of _The Untouchables_," Stella said, grinning.

"Oh?"

"Mafia outfit, right down to the wing-tip shoes and fedora. Mind you, I don't think the Mafia gangsters wore four-inch heel shoes and low-rise pants but the effect was the same," she said, grinning. "I wonder what she's going to do with that cane she's got with her."

"What cane?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, she had a nice black walking cane with her. She wasn't using it for walking but she did say there was going to be a bit of a show in the near future and you and I had front-row seats if we were interested," Stella said.

"Did she have Fabio with her?"

"Complete with dog-size fedora and vest and tie, almost identical to hers except his vest and tie were one piece," she replied, grinning. "Plus there was the clip for his harness. It was quite the picture."

"She's feeling good," he said, grinning at the image. He hadn't told Stella much about last night except to say that Randi had picked up her little gift and she had looked lovely. There were some things he simply preferred not to discuss with Stella until he had talked it over with Randi. "Did she say when the 'show' would be?"

"After she finishes her meeting with Hodges, which should end at about eleven. Randi said she would send us a text message before the fun starts. I'm thinking about bringing a camcorder to record the whole thing."

Mac just chuckled.

Eleven o'clock approached and sure enough, both Mac and Stella received a text message on their cells.

FIRE IN THE HOLE, SHOW STARTS 5 MINS IN RECEP. FRT ROW SEATS AVAIL.

"Shall we?" Mac said, gesturing towards the door and grinning.

It seemed Flack, Danny, Sheldon, and Lindsey had also gotten the message and now, along with several other cops, were all hanging around the reception area. Mac raised an eyebrow at Stewart, who stood there, waiting impatiently with a bunch of red roses in one hand. A moment later, Randi appeared.

Stella had been right about the gangster look. Randi was wearing black and white stripped pants and fitted blazer, which she had removed and was now draped through her briefcase bag handle, a dark red men's dress shirt, black waist coat, and white tie with the sexiest black and white wing-tip heeled shoes anyone had ever seen. A black felt fedora hat sat jauntily on her upswept hair, and a glass-top cane was in one hand while a briefcase bag was in the other, along with Fabio's leash, who trotted happily beside her.

"Ah, Stewart, such a pleasure to see you, as always," Randi said, appearing for all the world like a charming lady of grace and style.

"Miranda, is there some place private we can go?" Stewart asked formally.

"Sorry, Stewie dear, but whatever you have to say is going to be said right here," Randi replied, setting down her bag and handing Fabio's leash to Lindsey, who started fussing over Fabio. She casually started tapping the cane. Mac quickly realized Randi was going to use it for show, much like a prop, which made sense, since this was supposedly a show.

"Fine," Stewart huffed, not willing to make a scene but not realizing Randi was gearing up to cause exactly that. She was playing a game and she was playing it by her rules, ones Stewart didn't know.

"What are the roses for?" she asked.

"I understand you overheard a conversation between me and your sister and these are an attempt by me to apologize for any misconceptions we may have caused," Stewart said, handing her the rather expensive bouquet of hothouse roses.

She raised an eyebrow and called out, "Hey, Ross?"

"Yeah?" the officer called back.

"You still in the dog house with your wife?"

"Unfortunately. Why?"

She tossed the officer the roses. "Don't want to waste a bunch of good roses, so here, these should get you a few more brownie points with her." Stewart glared at her while several officers, including Flack and Danny, chuckled. The rest, including Mac, grinned. "Now, I'm guessing you had a word with my dear, dear sister. Did Catherine also tell you I kicked her out of my apartment because she broke the number one rule of my place?" Randi continued.

"She may have mentioned something along those lines, which, of course, was completely unfair of you," Stewart said.

"Unfair? Was it unfair of me to ask that she not bring anyone to my sacred little nook without first asking me? Hmmm? Only she did something far worse than that; she brought _you_ and she fucked you while she was at it. In _my home_, Stewart. My _private sanctuary_. I asked so damn little of her, asking that she respect my privacy, trusting that she would, and screwing around with you in my home was a direct violation of that privacy and trust," Randi hissed. "So yes, I kicked her out of my home, as was my right, and told her flat-out to never darken my doorstep again."

Mac winced. So that explained why Stewart's car had been outside her apartment that morning; he'd been having a little fun with Catherine.

"And let's not forget the little business of her offering to take my business away from me, calling it a toy and saying I'd had everything handed to me on a plate. Oh, and you referring to me as a brainless bimbo. Not a good move, Stewie, not a good move at all." She waggled her cane at him in a scolding motion.

A couple of the cops glared at Stewart and he blanched.

"Oh, by the way, I also know about you trying to take 'personal fees' from the contracts to a tune of about fifteen percent," Randi said, feeling her anger build and using it to give her strength. "Nice try, Stewie. You get paid by the hour, just like I do."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he denied.

"Sure about that? Dear, sweet, Paulie, my favorite lawyer, caught all those 'personal fees' you tried to put in the contracts and I trust Paulie not to lie, unlike you. I also don't appreciate you threatening my secretary, threatening to have her fired if she didn't start doing things your way. Angel works with _me_, not you, Stewie," Randi continued.

"You are making some very unfair accusations," Stewart protested, his face going red.

"Am I? Or maybe I'm just not playing the dumb bimbo you think I am. I'm aware most people don't think I'm the brightest chip on the block but never, ever, for one second, make the mistake of thinking I'm completely stupid. I know what's going on, Stewie, and I've been aware of it for some time. Last night was simply the nail in your damn coffin," Randi shot back. "The end result of all this is very simple. Effective this morning, _you are fired_."

"You can't do that!" Stewart yelled.

Just then, Angel appeared. Angel and Randi had spoken earlier on the phone and Randi had requested her loyal secretary to show up at the NYPD in a suit, or at least as close to a suit as Angel got, explaining that something majorly important was going to happen and she needed Angel to be at her best. Randi hadn't told Angel she was about to fire Stewart and put her in his place.

The woman had done her boss proud, wearing a nice black blazer and pants, front lace-up Stewart clan tartan and black mesh boned corset with lace on the shoulder straps and bottom hem. For jewelry, she wore a black enameled winged-heart choker and matching earrings. Black patent leather boots with a coffin heel were on her feet. Even Angel's hair had been pulled into a nice, tidy bun but it had a black chopstick holding it in place with silver skeleton charms dangling from the end.

"I just did," Randi replied coldly, turning her back on him. "Just the person I want to see!" she said happily, bouncing over to Angel, who looked a bit confused.

"What's up?" Angel asked.

"Congratulations, Ang, you've just gotten a promotion," Randi said cheerfully.

"I did?"

"Yup. You are now the business manager for Back In Time," Randi said.

Angel's face lit up. "Does the promotion come with a pay-raise and benifits?" she quipped.

"Started at the beginning of the month and it matches Stewart's," Randi said.

"I'll talk to the accountant," Angel said happily.

"And have him cut a final check for Stewart as his termination is effective this morning," Randi said.

"Not a problem."

"Your first assignment; find a new secretary. I'll take anyone you recommend," Randi said. She turned to Stewart and said coldly, "I'm sure you can find your way out. Angel and I have some business to discuss over lunch."

"Hey Randi?" Lindsey called.

"Yo?"

"Can Danny and I steal Fabio for lunch?" the blonde CSI asked cheerfully.

"By all means," Randi said, smiling as Fabio wiggled happily.

"You can't do this to me!" Stewart yelled, face red with anger.

"I can and I just did," Randi said coldly, turning her back on him, arm around Angel's shoulders, as she picked up her briefcase bag. "Now, I think you'd best leave before the NYPD decide to get a bit hostile."

"I'll ruin you, you stupid bitch, see if I don't!" Stewart yelled, forgetting in his anger where he was.

Immediately, two of the bigger cops approached him. Both men were built like line backers and had the muscle to show for it.

"Was that a threat, sir?" one cop with the name _McGuire_ on his nametag asked.

"Because we should warn you, sir, that we don't take kindly to threats," said Saylor, the second cop.

Stewart glared at the pair of them.

"I think you had best leave, sir, before we arrest you for trespassing," McGuire said.

"_Now_, sir," Saylor said.

Realizing he was beaten, Stewart started to stalk out of the NYPD.

While this had been going on, Lindsey and Danny had shared a conniving look and Lindsey bent down to over Fabio, while casually unclipping his leash from his harness. Meanwhile, Danny reached behind him and pulled a blue rubber grip ball from one pocket. Fabio saw the ball and immediately went nuts. Oh so casually, Danny let the ball roll along the floor while Lindsey maintained a grip on Fabio until the ball had rolled past Stewart's feet.

Then she whispered to the dog, "Go get the ball, Fabio, go get the ball!" And he was off like a shot.

Just as he had once done to Mac, so he did to Stewart in his eagerness to get his ball. Stewart went up and came down hard, cussing and swearing. As the commotion ensued, Lindsey quickly snapped Fabio's leash back on and Danny's ball, brought back by an eager Fabio, mysteriously vanished.

Mac, who had seen the whole thing, just grinned and shook his head in amusement, watching as Saylor and McGuire 'assisted' Stewart back up, hindering more than helping, and finally escorting the man out.

"Now _that_ is what I call a show!" Randi said.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: I'm hoping things will pick up again, now that I've finally finished one story. R and R and let me know what you think._

**Chapter 14**

"Morning, Kate," Mac said as he entered the café.

"Morning, Mac. The usual?" Kate asked cheerfully, pouring him a glass of orange juice.

"Please and thank you. How are you this morning?"

"Same old, same old," the waitress said, smiling. "You seen Randi around lately?" she asked.

"What makes you think I have?" he asked, grinning.

She grinned back. "Oh, I don't know, maybe it was the kiss she gave you before you two parted ways a couple of days ago. I thought the sidewalk was going to melt with the heat of that kiss."

"You saw that?"

"Hard not to. It was right outside the café door," Kate quipped, grinning.

Mac just chuckled. At that moment, there was a _CRASH_ from somewhere down the street. "That sounds like her," he said as Kate served him his breakfast.

She nodded. "Good thing I got the coffee going already."

A moment later, Randi breezed in, sans Fabio. Today she was wearing gold gladiator-style sandals with a four-inch spike heel, a knee-length black swing skirt decorated with a Chinese Phoenix in red and gold embroidery, white shirt with pointed collar, and a fitted black crop blazer with white lace sleeves spilling out from the cuff. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck and decorated with a large fake rose. A gold chain and earrings completed her outfit. She carried her usual work implements; cell and briefcase bag and her sunglasses were perched on her nose.

It had been several days since Randi's little "show" with Stewart at the NYPD and, as far as Mac knew, Stewart had behaved himself and vanished from the proverbial radar. Catherine had gone to their parents and raised merry hell about Randi's behavior but, as Randi had warned her, she didn't get much support from them. Their attitude was basically, "Your problem, you get on with it. We are not getting involved in this."

"Morning Kate, morning Charlie, morning Handsome," Randi said, going to the counter and putting her sunglasses on her head.

"Morning, Randi. You got time for breakfast?" Kate asked.

"Sure do, since I'm expecting somebody to meet me here," Randi replied after placing an affectionate kiss on Mac's cheek. He smiled warmly at her as she sat down and sniffed appreciatively at the coffee Kate placed in front of her.

"Did you find a new secretary yet?" Mac asked.

"That's who I'm supposed to be meeting. When she gets here I'll order breakfast and suggest that she do the same. Angel recommended her, saying her name was Candy and a friend. Angel also says she's a former hooker-stripper trying to go clean so I'm going to give the girl the benefit of the doubt and, if she meets my criteria, give her a try," Randi said.

"That's generous of you," Kate said.

Randi just shrugged.

"Want me to check her background?" Mac offered.

Randi thought about that for a moment then shook her head. "No, I trust Angel. If I start checking everyone's background I'd probably get disillusioned pretty fast."

A moment later a tall black woman entered the café, looking very uncertain about her surroundings. She wore very low-rise black pants, a straight-cut black blazer, a spandex tie-front crop top in soft pink that showed off her generous breasts, slim tummy, and her silver belly button stud, and three-inch spike platform heels. Her hair was cut in a neat bob and everyone could see she was trying to look professional but she still had the whole "stripper" look about her.

"Excuse me," the woman said, going up to the counter.

"Can I help you?" Kate asked pleasantly.

"I'm supposed to meet someone here, a Randy Wilcox," she said hesitantly.

"That would be me," Randi said cheerfully, waving to get her attention. "You Candy?" The woman nodded. "Why don't you park it in one of the booths and order yourself something to eat, provided you haven't eaten already. I'll be right there."

The woman did so, sliding into one of the booths and picking up the laminated café menu. After a moment, Kate went to her to take her order. Meanwhile, Randi continued talking quietly with Mac.

"Join me for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"Sounds good. I'll call you if there are any changes," he said.

She smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less," she said. "Oh, scuttlebutt says you may be seeing me back at the NYPD again. Seems Hodges and the other muckity-mucks were impressed with my work there and they've got another four storage rooms they want me to have a look at. I've got Angel talking to them about it."

He nodded. "Let me know how it goes," he said, finishing his breakfast. "Gotta run, literally." He paid Kate and gave Randi a gentle kiss before leaving, leaving her with a small smile on her face.

"You two are so in love it's not funny," Kate said, grinning.

"Yeah, so?" Randi shot back, also grinning, as she stood up and made her way to the table where Candy was. Kate followed her, knowing Randi would order once she sat down. She did so, ordering pancakes and hashbrowns, with whipped cream and strawberries on the pancakes.

"So, Candy, I understand you're friends with Angel," Randi said casually.

Candy nodded. "She's a good friend and pretty cool. She raves about you all the time, saying you're the best boss she's ever had."

Randi chuckled. "Well, if you're friends with Angel then you know of her recent promotion to my business manager."

"Yeah, she was pretty excited about that. She mentioned that you had given her the task of finding a new secretary and offered to put in a good word for me."

"And she did, saying you were a hard worker, honest and loyal," Randi said. "Those are traits I appreciate and value in my business. This is going to sound rude but I need to know. Are you clean?"

Candy flushed but she nodded. "I won't lie, I used to snort cocaine but that was over a year ago and Angel helped me get clean. I don't touch that shit no more."

"What about alcohol?"

Candy shook her head. "Saw enough of that shit while growing up and swore I'd never touch a drop of it. I never have."

"What if you're in a situation, such as a party where alcohol is flowing pretty freely?"

"Then I go to the bar and request a non-alcoholic drink, even if it's only water."

Randi nodded, accepting her answer. "The reason I ask is because I have a zero-tolerance for substance abuse. I admit, I have a drink every now and then, especially during social gatherings, but that's it. You want to smoke, do so but not when you're working."

Candy nodded. Angel had warned her about that particular rule.

"Beyond that, I only have a couple of questions. One, how do you feel about dogs?"

Candy beamed. "I _love_ dogs and have three little Chihuahuas. They're my babies," she said, taking a picture out from her purse and showing it to Randi. Randi's eyebrows shot up as she studied the picture of the three little dogs, all looking up at the camera with curiosity and all three wearing what looked like diamond-studded collars. "The little black fellow is Licorice, the white one with the blotch on her face is Macaroon, and the brown boy is Tootsie," Candy explained. "They're all siblings."

"And I thought I was bad with Fabio," Randi said, handing the photograph back.

"Angel said you had a dog named Fabio," Candy said.

"That I do," Randi said, showing the woman her photograph of Fabio, who was wearing a fedora and had his ears down.

Candy giggled when she saw the picture and handed it back.

"Next question; can you make coffee?" Randi asked.

"Lady, I don't make _coffee_," Candy said. Randi's eyebrows shot up. She grinned. "I make _co-ff-eee_," she said, drawing out the word. "Angel swears I'm the only person she's ever known who can make the best gourmet coffee she's ever had."

Randi grinned. "Okay, second to question. How are you for organization?"

Candy's answer was to reach into her bag and pull out her checkbook. She handed it over to Randi who flipped it over to the accounting section and, again, her eyebrows shot up. Candy was a very neat and very detailed accountant, as evident by the fact that her finances were organized right down to the last penny.

"I'm impressed. I usually leave that stuff to our accountant," she said, grinning as she handed the checkbook back to Candy. "Last question. Do you know your way around a computer?"

"Not very well but I can learn," Candy said earnestly. "I can surf the Net pretty good and I can use a cell."

Randi studied her for a moment and came to a decision. Kate arrived with their breakfast orders and Randi used that time to think about what she was going to say. "Okay, I only have a few very basic rules about things. One, when it comes to your appearance, as long as you're not showing too much of your unmentionables and you look reasonably presentable when we have to deal with clients, I don't care how you dress. I mean, you've seen what I let Angel get away, for Christ's sake."

Candy nodded, not sure where this was going but hoping beyond hope that it was going somewhere good.

"Two, don't lie to me. I hate dishonesty with a passion and I recently fired my previous business manager over it. Three, if you have a problem, speak up and say so. Depending on the problem, I may get a bit snarky but I'll listen. If you're right, you get a bonus. If you're wrong, I eat you for breakfast. Four, no matter how tempted you get, don't try and punch out any of our clients. Let me know if there's a problem and I will deal with the client in question. Five, first thing in the morning, don't get between my coffee and me. Last rule, don't expect regular hours. I try and stick to a regular schedule, but as Angel may have told you, some of our clients are bit eccentric or a case or file will come across our desk and it will require a bit of over-time."

Candy nodded, trying to absorb all this.

"Good. Now, once you've eaten, head over to the office and Angel will help you get set up and show you around," Randi said. She named a figure. "Think you can live with that as a salary?"

Candy's jaw dropped but she quickly closed her mouth and nodded again. "Does, does that mean I have the job?" she asked.

In the middle of forking some pancakes into her mouth, Randi just looked at her and said, "Duh."


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: okay, this is what I get for staying up past 1am. Thanks to everyone for the reviews and let me know, as always, your opinion of this one._

**Chapter 15**

Candy walked into the breakroom where Randi had told her she could find a cup of coffee and-or a soda. She had been working with her new boss at the NYPD since yesterday and had managed to avoid any of the real trouble-maker-type cops, the kind that looked down on women like her. Randi had told her that if she ever had any trouble with those kinds of cops, or if anyone gave her any kind of trouble, to let her know and make sure she got the name of the cop as Randi would make sure the problem was rectified immediately. She was not going to tolerate having her new secretary bullied or looked down on by a bunch of cops with attitude problems and that was a direct quote.

Wanting to dress to impress her new boss today, Candy was wearing hand-painted boot-cut jeans, a nice t-shirt that was a bit snug but not overly hookerish, and a simple denim jacket with platform heels. Her shoe selection was a bit limited due to her previous job but, knowing she got paid every two weeks, she promised herself she would get some proper footwear and decent clothes to reflect her new job. To her surprise, Randi had _loved_ her painted jeans and wanted to know where she got them. That had caught Candy completely off-guard, not used to such compliments, until Angel had touched base with them a bit later and quietly explained to the woman that Randi loved clothing that was deliberately different. She had once seen Randi visit a client in a proper Japanese kimono outfit, complete with sandals and obi!

Candy was finding she didn't mind working at the NYPD, thinking it was kind of cool to see the things ordinary civilians and perps never got to see. She had already met Stella Bonasera, Danny Messer, and Lindsey Monroe but she hadn't met the other three men Randi had mentioned; Don Flack, Mac Taylor, and Sheldon Hawkes. However, Randi had assured her that they were all pretty good people. Candy believed her so far, having taken a liking to Stella and Lindsey. Danny was kind of cute in a puppy-dog sort of way and he treated her decently enough.

Now Candy took a bunch of coins from her coin purse and punched in an order for black coffee from the vending machine. As she waited for the machine to do its thing, a burly cop with black hair came into the room and when he saw her, his eyebrows shot up and not in a nice way. Candy cringed; she recognized the guy and he was one of the cops with the attitude problem.

"Well, well, well, what a sight to see. Who let you out of the jail cell?" the cop, Andrews, sneered.

_Hold your head up high, girl. You ain't done nothin' wrong. You're goin' straight and clean and you're workin' with a very respectable lady. He ain't got nuttin' on you,_ Candy told herself determinedly. She leveled her head him and said, "I'm working with Randi Wilcox, the appraiser."

"What, as her pussy-licker?" Andrews snorted.

Candy's face went warm as she said proudly, "No, as her secretary."

Andrews snorted. "Yeah right. You, a secretary for that nutcase, Wilcox? God knows she's nuttier than a clown in a nuthouse."

Candy felt her blood boil but she tried to temper it. "It doesn't matter what you think about her. You're just one person and I can think of a lot of other people who think she's a good person. After all, she took me on."

Andrews walked right up to her and sneered, "One thing you stupid sluts just don't get; once a slut, always a slut. No matter how you fancy yourselves up, you'll never change. You're in the gutter and you always will be, so why don't you be a good little whore and crawl back to where you belong?"

Candy had absolutely no idea what to say, or at least what to say without landing herself in a heap of trouble. As it was, God seemed to take care of that problem for her.

"_That's enough!_" barked a male voice laced with anger.

Both Candy and Andrews snapped around. Standing at the doorway was a tall white man dressed in a nice suit and tie, with black hair and pale blue eyes. Standing next to him was a black man in a long-sleeved shirt and slacks and neither looked too happy about what was going on.

"Officer Andrews, I don't give a _damn _about your views of prostitutes, you will _not_ speak to this woman like that again!" the white man said, hands on his hips as he glared at the officer.

_I owe you one, Father,_ Candy thought silently.

"But sir, she's just a hooker! She doesn't belong here, so what do you care?" Andrews shot back angrily.

"Her past doesn't matter, nor should her choice of former professions. She is to be treated with the same courtesy and respect as any other woman," the man said, coming right up and getting in Andrews's face. His eyes were chips of ice and Candy involuntarily shivered as she moved away from the pair.

The black man came up to her and moved her out of range of Andrews and the other man, and quietly said, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you in any way?" There was genuine concern in his eyes and something about him made Candy want to trust him.

"I'm, I'm okay. I know not all cops don't care much for us girls and I wasn't tryin' to cause trouble, really," she said.

He studied her with a critical eye and nodded. "Don't worry about him; once Flack gets through with him I don't think there'll be much left of him. Are you Candy, by any chance?" She nodded. "I'm Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, CSI. Randi's told us about you and it's a pleasure to meet you."

That explained the eye, Candy thought. He was checking her over visually like a doctor.

In the mean time, Flack had continued to rip into Andrews. "I catch you speaking to or even treating the lady or any other prostitute like that again, you will be demoted so far down the damn ladder you'll be walking the beat in the worst part of the Bronx for the rest of your damn career!" he yelled. "As it is, I will be speaking to your supervisor about this and I will mention it to Randi and sit back and watch as she has her bit of fun with you and your supervisor. She may be a bit eccentric and a bit of a whirlwind on occasions but you keep your damn opinions about her to yourself, _you got that?_" Andrews gulped nervously and nodded. "Now get the hell out of here before you put your damn foot in your mouth again!"

Andrews glared at both Candy and Flack but got the hell out of the room. Flack approached Candy and said, "You okay?"

Candy nodded. By now, she'd gotten her coffee from the vending machine and was sipping it as she tried to calm her nerves. The incident with Andrews had rattled her quite badly.

"Detective Don Flack," he said, introducing himself.

"Candy, Randi's secretary," Candy said.

"We've heard of you. How's it going with her?" Flack asked as he got himself a cup of coffee.

"She's… a regular whirlwind," Candy said, trying to describe her new employer.

Both men laughed. "Yeah, that's Randi all right," Flack said. "With her, accidents just seem to happen around her, especially if she brings her dog, Fabio, with her."

"I know about Fabio. I've got three Chihuahuas and they're my babies," Candy said, finding herself becoming at ease with the two men.

Sheldon's face lit up while Flack cringed. "Have they met Fabio yet?" Sheldon asked as he got his coffee.

"No, not yet but Randi said it would be a good idea if they did soon," Candy said.

"Regular ankle-biters," Flack groused, grinning as he recalled some of his own experiences, not all of it good, with small dogs, particularly Chihuahuas.

"Only if you run," Candy shot back, also grinning.

Then a man Candy recognized came into the breakroom. "Okay, who did you ream out this time, Flack?" the man asked. "I heard the yelling all the way down the hall."

"Officer Jake Andrew. Jackass got a bit too mouthy with Candy for my liking," Flack said. "Candy, this is Detective Mac Taylor. Mac, Randi's new secretary, Candy."

"We've met briefly before, even though no names were exchanged," Mac said, shaking Candy's hand.

"That's right! The little café where I had my interview with Randi. I remember you," Candy said.

"Randi says you're settling in nicely," Mac said.

"Randi's pretty cool to work with but I think that storage room is gonna drive us both up the wall. I'm pretty good at organizing things but even I gotta admit, I'm seriously startin' to think we're not getting' paid enough to deal with the crapola that's in there," Candy said.

"That bad, huh?" Sheldon said. Candy nodded. "What have you found so far?"

"Case files dating back to the Flappin' Twenties," Candy replied. "We don't know what to do with the darn things and Hodges, the head muckity-muck ain't helpin' much. He seems to be avoiding her."

"I think I know why," Mac said. Candy raised an eyebrow at him, curious. "There was a little incident involving Fabio, the squad room, and Fabio's retractable, thirty-foot long leash about a few weeks ago."

Both Flack and Sheldon started snickering at the memory as Mac explained what had happened. By the time he was done, Candy was giggling. "Poor Randi," she said. "So that's why Hodges is avoiding her; he's probably afraid of another accident. But we gotta do something about those files."

"Well, if Hodges won't help, then I know someone who can," Flack said. "Sergeant Pete Belross. He'll know what to do with those old case files. I'll have a word with him about that for you."

"Appreciate it and I'm sure Randi will too," Candy said. "Now I just gotta figure out how to get back to the storage area."

"I'll take you," Sheldon volunteered.

"And I'm going to go have a word with Andrews' supervisor," Flack said.

"Tell Randi I'll catch up to her later," Mac said.

"Will do." Candy said. She thought for a moment then said, "Tell you guys what; if you ever need an ear with the ladies, let me know. I hear things and the girls talk to me."

"We appriciate that," Flack said, smiling. All three men knew every willing ear they had on the streets was one more source of information they could access during a case.

Candy smiled back as she tossed her now-empty cup into the garbage bin and followed Sheldon out of the breakroom.

As Sheldon escorted her back to the storage area, they made polite chitchat. He was charming and friendly and Candy felt herself being drawn to him like flies to honey.

He left her at the door of the storage room with a smile and as he walked away, she found herself yelping, "Damn, boy, you want some fries with that shake?"

He looked back, grinning, even as she swore his ears went red, and continued walking away. Behind her, she heard Randi choking with laughter.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Don'cha just hate it when your muse won't shut up long enough to let you get some sleep? Anyway, thanks for the reviews and you know what to do with this one._

**Chapter 16**

"I gotta admit, you sure have interesting ways of having _meetings,_" Randi said between kisses.

Mac chuckled. "With our work schedule these days, I do what I can."

They were amid a small grove of trees at a quiet park, mostly hidden by passerby's, snuggled on a blanket swiped from Mac's car, and had just had a nice, quiet take-out lunch-picnic that Mac had designated as a "scheduled meeting" which was really a way of getting time with each other. Due to some cases that had crossed Mac's desk and Randi trying to get the storage room contract done, they hadn't had much time together.

"Gotta give you credit for creativity," she said, giggling and then moaning softly as Mac's lips found her neck.

"Oh, please do," he replied, working his way back up her neck to her mouth again.

After a moment or two more of this rather pleasurable activity, Mac reluctantly sat back. "I'd better cool it or I'm going to have to wear my jacket buttoned up for the rest of the day," he explained at Randi's raised eyebrows.

She looked down and grinned. Yeah, he had a problem, all right. Mind you, so did she, except hers wasn't nearly as visible. "Okay, I'll behave," she said, smiling.

"Is that possible?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. She smacked his arm in retaliation and he laughed, tackling her to the blanket. She struggled playfully for a minute before giving up.

"Wiseass. But I warn you, bud, we are going to have to do something, _soon_, or we're going to have more than just a minor belt problem," she said.

He grinned mischievously. "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something."

She glared at him. "I hate you," she said, not really meaning it.

"Nope, you like me and I know you do," he replied, his grin going even wider.

Back at the precinct, Mac and Randi discretely parted ways, but not before he gave her another bone-melting kiss in the car that left her aching with need.

Now Randi was pissed off and it was mostly Mac's fault with some help from Officer Andrew. Flack had told her about the incident between Candy and Officer Andrews yesterday and had mentioned he'd spoken to Andrews' supervisor about the man's behavior. She had spoken to Candy about it and the woman had, understandably, been upset.

"Look, I don't want to cause you no trouble. I'd rather quit than do that," Candy had said.

"Not gonna happen. I need you too damn much to let you quit over some mealy-mouthed cop with an attitude problem," Randi had replied calmly. "Put it this way, you leave and I'm afraid Angel will have a nervous breakdown, never mind me." She put a comforting arm around the woman and said, "I'll deal with him, and I promise you, this will not happen again."

Randi had to wait until the next day to talk to Andrews' supervisor, Lieutenant Grazer, because he'd been called away and hadn't gotten back by the time she and Candy left for the day. Wisely, she'd made an appointment with the man via phone and was now on her way to see him.

Feeling a need for a bit of formality and comfort, Randi had decided to go the traditional route in her clothing today. She had chosen to wear a traditional Japanese garment called a haori, which was a short kimono that fell to about hip-length. Her haori had been custom-made by a grateful Japanese client some months back, and had knee-length butterfly sleeves. The fabric was an eggplant background with morning glory flowers and leaves outlined in gold. The sleeves and bottom were edged with a wide band in soft cream and gold. Over top she wore a traditional obi wide belt in light purple and gold, and tied with an eggplant-colored obi-jime belt, which was a small, braided cord. At the collar she wore a cream-colored eri-sugata, which was the collar of a jaban, a kimono traditionally worn under the main kimono. Also observing tradition, Randi had wrapped her haori left over right. Right over left was reserved for burial wear of the dead.

Since the haori was the focus of her outfit, the rest of her clothing was very simple. She wore snug white pants and white ankle boots. Gold butterfly earrings hung from her ears and her hair was swept up in a knot and held in place with pretty combs and a few well-placed pins.

"I understand your concern, Randi, and I assure you, Andrews has been formally reprimanded for his behavior towards your secretary. She will not be treated like that again," Grazer said. They faced each other over his desk, both seated. Randi had been polite and he was extending her the same courtesy. After all, she had a right to be angry and Grazer had to admit he was not happy about Andrews's behavior either.

"I appreciate that, Lieutenant, and I'm sure Candy will as well. She's a good person and, quite frankly, I need her. I don't need her being scared or upset by a cop who can't watch his mouth," Randi said. "She even offered to quit to avoid causing me trouble."

"Randi, no insult intended, but you _are_ trouble," Grazer said, smiling.

"Yeah, but the rest of the world don't know that yet," she said, winking and grinning.

Satisfied that the Andrews problem was taken care of on the supervisory level, Randi decided to let things go, that was until she saw Andrews in the squad room. He sneered at her and her temper rose.

_Fine,_ she thought. _You want to act like an ass, fine; I can act like a bitch. I can also kill two birds with one stone._

Randi walked right up to him and looked at him square in the face, hands on her hips.

"What do you want?" he asked, glaring at her.

"To clarify a few things, _bub_," Randi said, glaring right back. "I don't know what your problem is, but let's get something straight," she said, her voice rising. "Don't you _ever _speak to Candy like you did yesterday! She didn't deserve your treatment, nor did she need it! I don't know what your problem is, buddy, but you better damn well get it fixed, _fast_." By now the squad room had gone quiet, which had been her intention. Hands on her hips, feet spread, she looked around the room at the officers, fire in her eyes. "Let's get one thing straight right here, right now! I am doing your muckity-mucks upstairs a favor by literally cleaning out a storeroom that has _junk_ in it going back to the 1920's! And in order to do the job and do it properly and in a timely fashion means _I need_ my secretary _more_ than I need your attitude problem! I will _not_ tolerate her being treated with disrespect in _any_ form or fashion! Hell, I need _both _girls and will not tolerate _either _of them being treated badly just because you bozos are having a bad day! Say what you want about me, but I catch either girl being bad-mouthed again and those jackasses upstairs can clean up their _own damn mess!_ _AM I CLEAR?_" she finished off yelling, using her hand for emphasis.

There was silence. Then a couple of the cops nodded mutely. She nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then lets not have this conversation again, shall we?" she said, looking pointedly at Andrews, who looked like he wished he could crawl under his desk and stay there until the sun died.

Standing nearby, mouths open, were Angel and Candy. They'd heard the yelling from Reception and had decided to investigate.

Angel was wearing a nice blood-red suit and a black camisole shirt with the words _Witch by nature, Bitch by choice_ in white on the shirt. Shiny black patent shoes were on her feet and a silver pentagram pendant was around her neck on a nice black velvet choker. Now that Stewart was gone, she had taken to showing her Wiccan pride more and more; something Randi had no problems with, finding comfort in what she considered a gentle religion.

Taking her cues from Randi and Angel, Candy had gone for a traditional African tunic called a Kanga in beautiful blues, greens, and blacks, with a matching headscarf, and simple black slacks. She also wore black spike heeled boots.

Randi joined them and accepted Fabio's leash, bending down to give her pet an affectionate head-rub. Candy had the leashes to her three Chihuahuas and they demanded to be petted too, which she did. The Three Sweeties had taken to Fabio like superglue and Fabio, in turn, loved playing with them. Their antics had caused no end of laughter amongst the three women.

Now the three women walked away, dogs trotting beside them and the officers quickly cleared their way. As soon as they were out of earshot of the squad room, Candy looked at Randi, who was making a vain attempt to calm down.

"Damn girl, what bee got in your bouquet today?" Candy asked.

Randi looked around and made sure nobody was listening before muttering, her face going red, "Combination sexual frustration and PMS. I needed somebody to pick on and Andrews made himself an easy target."

Angel and Candy cracked up.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: once again, thanks for the reviews. If this is a bit all-over-the-place, let me know. I was quite tired when I started this chapter and Randi just would not shut up. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 17**

"What's this?" Randi asked, staring at the odd-shaped amethyst and moonstone pendant Angel was dangling on a chain in front of her. The polished amethyst was teardrop shaped with the wide end up. A small, round polished moonstone sat on top of the wide end and sterling silver edged both stones.

"It's the Mother Goddess and it got me through some tough times. It was a gift from my nana after I joined the coven. When things got tough in my life, I found comfort in it," Angel explained. "And, knowing you're going through a tough time right now, as a friend, I'm giving it to you." She took her boss's hand and wrapped her fingers around the pendant. "May you find the comfort and strength that I found in it." With that, she smiled, straightened up, and walked away, leaving Randi alone with her thoughts.

Knees drawn up, the fabric of her long light blue wool skirt spread around her, Randi stared at the pendant in her hands and she swore she felt a warm, soothing heat coming from it. A tear slid down her face. She was under her desk at Back In Time, having decided she didn't want to go in to the NYPD today. It was stupid and childish to be hiding under her desk, but she didn't care. She just wanted to hide from the world for a while.

Angel was right; her life was a mess. Things had been so good over the last couple of days and then, yesterday, her world had come crashing down around her ears. Stewart was suing her for defamation by slander, Catherine was spreading some very vicious rumors that were causing trouble with her more prestige clients, and her relationship with Mac was in jeopardy. Of all the things she was worried about, however, it was her relationship with Mac.

She needed him, desperately. He was like her rock, stable, steady, and strong, and because of her own stupid fears, she'd pushed him away when she needed him the most.

About two days ago, Mac had gotten word of Catherine's behavior and apparently gone straight to the senior Wilcox's. It seemed Mac had a few connections of his own and was known to them. He had told them about Catherine's behavior and strongly advised that they get their eldest daughter under control or he would be making it well known about exactly what was going on. The Wilcox's weren't the only ones with connections.

When Randi found out, she'd blown. In her eyes, Mac was trying to take control of her life and she'd accused him of doing exactly that. He'd tried telling her that he simply had weapons she didn't, that he saw things differently than she did because Catherine wasn't his sister, just a vindictive woman with a bad attitude problem, and he'd dealt with the problem directly, just like a cop, once he'd discovered Catherine lived off of her parents. He'd done what he'd done because he cared, not because he was trying to take control of her life. Hell, he wanted to be _part_ of her life.

But Randi hadn't seen that; she'd been too upset at what she perceived as an attempt to take over her life. She was used to dealing with her problems on her own, especially with her family, and had fought long and hard to create her own independence. She'd left him, angry, hurt, and not sure if she wanted the relationship to continue.

Then, later that day, after the argument with Mac, when she'd been at the office, trying to clear her head, a court clerk had shown up and had served her notice that one Stewart Telmore, her former business manager, was suing her. He was accusing her of defamation by slander and was asking for fifteen grand. Paul, her lawyer, had freaked when he'd found out. A meeting between Paul, her, Stewart, and his lawyer, earlier today had resulted in Stewart suggesting that if she paid the fifteen grand now, if they settled this out of court, he would drop the matter. If she didn't, he would drag her name through the courts and her name would be mud by the time he was finished.

The only thing that was going right was the storage room at the NYPD. Thanks to Sergeant Belross, an officer about two months away from retirement, they'd made a significant dent in the junk and the case files they'd found. Randi estimated that about only a quarter of the storage room contents had any real value in terms of antiques. The case files had been removed and anything older than fifty years had been destroyed. Belross had been a joy to work with, reminding her of one of her favorite uncles. He had enjoyed the friendly flirting from Candy, who'd played it up every chance she got, knowing it was a joke between them, and he'd loved the dogs. He'd discussed religion with Angel and history with Randi and between them, had gotten the case files sorted out and dealt with in record time.

But to Randi, none of that mattered right now.

Randi and Mac had talked a lot and touched on a lot of different subjects, but one of the things they hadn't talked about was what they should have talked about; what they were afraid of in terms of relationships. She hadn't told Mac about her fears. She was afraid of losing her hard-earned independence, of becoming dependent on him to fix her problems. She was afraid of relinquishing control to him because she was afraid of never getting that control back. Mac was very much a leader and she wasn't. She preferred to think of herself as an individualist, a person who walked her own path regardless of what other people thought.

Funny enough, it was Candy who'd set her straight on the control issue when Randi had told her about the argument between her and Mac.

After the meeting with Stewart and their respective lawyers, Randi had gone back to the office and crawled under the desk, taking a polar fleece blanket with her. Fabio had joined her and cuddled up to her, sensing something wasn't right with his lady. That was where Candy and Angel had found her fifteen minutes later.

"Sugar, in a relationship, it shouldn't be about who controls who. It should be about sharing, about playing up each other's strengths and supporting each other's weaknesses. It sounds to me like Mac knew your weakness was your family, which you had trouble standing up to, especially in regards to your sister, and he wasn't afraid of them. Being a cop, he deals with people like Beyatch Girl all the time. He ain't afraid of her and he ain't afraid of your parents," Candy explained, having crawled under her desk and sitting next to her. "He was trying, in his own crazy way, to help you and to show you he supports you. Otherwise, he would've let you deal with this crapola on your own and simply offer you a sympathetic ear at the most." She put her arm around Randi and said, "His strength is that he's not afraid of your family. Your strength is that you're not afraid of him. He supports you with your family and you support him with his work, especially when he gets too involved."

"I'm afraid," Randi had admitted. "I'm so in love with him it's not funny. I'm afraid if I give him control, if I let him have complete control, I won't have anything left to hold on to, that I'll lose my independence."

"It's not about control, honey, it's about trust. If you truly love Mac, then you need to trust that he won't hurt you, that he won't try and take over your life if you let him help you with a few things. There's no shame in letting someone help you, no shame in leaning on someone for a while. The shame comes when you become dependent on that person and you don't strike me as being that kind of person," Candy said. "Even the strong need to lean on someone once in a while."

Randi knew she and Mac needed to talk because, deep down inside, she wasn't ready to let go of him yet. She just didn't know how. The issue of control and trust were her problems and she was going to have to deal with them if she wanted to keep Mac in her life and heaven knew she did.

In her hand, the stones seemed to pulse, like a heartbeat. It was soothing and steady and, funny enough, warm. Comforting.

Randi didn't really know if there was such thing as a Goddess, like what Angel believed in, and she didn't know if a Goddess would even hear her but something made her want to try. And, slowly but surely, everything tumbled out. All her hopes. All her fears. Everything. The tears came again but that was okay; they were healing tears. The laughter and the snickers from memories that were funny, that came too.

After a long while, she stopped talking and something funny happened; it felt like someone had put their arms around her shoulders and just told her that everything was going to be okay.

The next day, after a long, hot shower and a good rest, Randi felt more clear-headed. She had woken up knowing precisely what needed to be done and how to go about doing it. It was like her brain and her heart had finally caught up to each other and worked a few things out. The first order of business for the day was to get her relationship with Mac back on par. Then she was going to talk to Paul and see what they could do about Stewart.

Deciding she wanted to look professional but soft and sexy, she chose a red stretch velvet blazer and matching pants from Victoria's Secret, and a soft lavender form-fitting, textured sweater with a deep v-neckline. On her feet were glittering silver ankle-boots. They were from the same company that had made her turquoise-colored boots and, admitting to a weakness, she practically had one pair in every color they sold.

Her hair up in a sexy twist she knew Mac liked, silver cubic zirconium earrings to compliment her boots, make-up done properly, and a spritz of her favorite perfume, Randi felt ready to get her life back on track. Just for a bit of luck, however, she tucked Angel's pendant in her blazer pocket.

After paying a visit to a certain store, she headed to the NYPD with a cup of coffee for bribery for Davey.

Davey was quite happy to accept the little bribe and directed her to Flack, who told her where she could find Mac. Turned out he was in one of the labs.

"Mac?" Randi called, stepping into the lab cautiously. There were all kinds of equipment in the labs and, with her luck around things like that, she tended to be very careful, not wanting to accidentally blow up an expensive piece of lab equipment.

Mac was nowhere in sight. Something rustled and she froze. Something felt wrong; she could feel it in her bones. Cautiously, she looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place.

Then something cold and strange touched her cheek.

She froze again.

A slim, dark-colored, forked tongue darted next to her face.

Eyes going wide, breathing increasing, and heart-rate picking up rapidly, Randi slowly turned her head….


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Chapter 17 started to get a bit too long so I spliced it a bit. As always, you know what to do!_

**Chapter 18**

And Randi came face to nose with an albino Burmese python.

Randi's mind immediately recognized the snake and registered it as a non-venomous type of snake. It was huge, yes, but she couldn't see how huge since it looked like most of it was under a large cloth-covered, rectangular-shaped, object but its head was good-sized, about the length of her hand, nails included. Her mind told her to simply step away from the snake, that it wouldn't attack her. The tongue-flicking thing was the snake's way of finding out who and what she was. It wouldn't hurt her. That's what her mind was saying.

Unfortunately, her mind and her body had decided they were not on speaking terms right there and then.

Randi screamed. It was a scream of absolute terror.

Then something on the floor caught her attention. It was another Burmese python and this one was a light brown with dark brown blotches bordered in black, not an albino, which was white with patterns of butterscotch yellow and burnt orange. It was also bloody huge, almost eight feet long and nearly as thick as a man's arm near the middle.

This fellow had quietly come from under the table, where Randi hadn't seen him, and was now steadily moving towards her feet.

Randi did the only thing she could do; she screamed again.

"_Randi!_" someone said, trying to get her attention. Hands were gripping her arms but she couldn't take her eyes off the snakes. "_Randi, it's okay. You're safe; they won't hurt you, I promise,_" the voice said.

She had to fight with herself to take her eyes off the snakes. Once she did, she was so damn glad it was unreal. Mac, the man she'd been looking for, the man she loved and needed, was right in front of her, worry etching his face.

"Get me out of here!" she begged, flinging her arms around him and burrowing her face in his neck, not caring how stupid she looked.

Mac, Danny, and Stella had been in another section of the lab when two frightened, piercing screams had rent the air, less than three seconds apart. Flack had just told him Randi was looking for him and he'd been quietly debating with himself as to whether or not he wanted to deal with her right now. Their fight from two days ago still lingered in his mind and he'd been debating what to do.

However, that changed in an instant.

Everyone had run to the source of the scream and frozen at the doorway of the adjourning lab when they'd seen the situation. It was Randi and she looking at the two giant snakes with absolute terror on her face.

Mac remembered Randi had once told him she didn't care much for snakes and, seeing the look of terror on her face, he quickly realized just how much she didn't care for snakes. Randi didn't just dislike snakes; she was absolutely terrified of them.

"Somebody get those snakes under control, _now!_" he snapped, skirting around the snake on the floor and going to Randi. He stood in front of her, trying to get her attention away from the snakes. "Randi!" he called. No response. "Randi, it's okay. You're safe; they won't hurt you, I promise."

Finally, finally, she looked at him. "Get me out of here!" she begged, flinging her arms around his neck and burrowing her head in his neck. She was shaking.

Deciding drastic measures were needed, he quickly scooped the woman he loved up in his arms and bore her out of the lab, heading straight for his office.

Once in his office, he sat Randi on the couch beside him and did his best to soothe her. She had an iron grip on him and was shaking.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears rolling down her face. "I'm sorry, Mac, I'm sorry about everything," she whispered.

"It's okay," he soothed, gently wiping away her tears. "It's okay."

"We," she gulped. "We need to talk but we can do it later. Right now, just please, please don't let me go."

He smiled, wrapping his arms more comfortably around her. "I can do that."

After a long moment she shifted position so her head wasn't buried against his throat and he swiped a tissue from his desk for her. She wiped her nose and her eyes and gave him a watery smile.

"Thank god for water-proof mascara," she quipped. Mac chuckled.

Someone knocked on the office door and they looked up. It was Flack and he was holding what looked like a cup of coffee. Beside him were Lindsey, Sheldon, Danny, and Stella, all looking concerned. Mac gestured for them to come in.

"What happened?" Lindsey asked, concerned.

"I've got a bad thing about snakes," Randi explained. She accepted the coffee Flack handed her and took a sniff. Something close to brandy reached her nose and she raised an eyebrow at the detective.

He smiled. "Not to name names, but one of the supervisors keeps a little something in his desk. I swiped a few drops with his blessings."

"Good thinking," she said, taking a grateful sip. The coffee warmed her mouth and the brandy burned a slow, pleasant path down to her stomach. She sighed, leaning against Mac and letting the coffee-brandy do its thing. With Stella seated next to her and the rest of the group surrounding her, Randi explained. "When I was younger, like about eleven, I was on a ranch in Texas that belonged to one of my uncles. I had a sixteen year old cousin and he was a cocky young prick but I idolized him as only an impressionable girl of eleven could do." Her friends chuckled. "Unfortunately, that cockiness cost him one day. He found this brown-colored snake that was near the water, a sort of lake the bordered the ranch I was visiting, and he started tormenting the damn thing. I tried to get him to leave it alone because, even then, I didn't care much for snakes. Turned out the snake he was tormenting was a cottonmouth."

Everyone winced.

"Cottonmouths are pretty aggressive," Danny said.

"I know. It struck my cousin. Twice," she said, holding up two fingers for emphasis.

"Oh jeeze," Sheldon breathed.

"To make matters worse, he got nailed in the artery on the inside of his thigh," Randi said.

"He was a dead boy," Sheldon said.

"Within minutes," Randi confirmed. "And I was less than a few feet away when he died. I screamed my head off, went running, and my uncle, the boy's father, came running with rifle in hand, but there was nothing he could do. Nearest town with a properly equipped hospital was about forty-five minutes away, even by chopper. The paramedics pronounced him dead at the ranch."

"But those were pythons in the lab, and they don't look anything like cottonmouths," Lindsey said, confused.

"Well, the cottonmouth gives you an idea as to what started the problem," Randi explained. "While I was in college, my dormmate had a boyfriend who owned a Burmese python, exactly like the albino one in the lab. Idiot had this theory that all you had to do was touch the snake and you'd get over your fear of snakes. Donna, bless her heart, said if I didn't want to go near the snake, I didn't have to. Unfortunately that didn't stop the boyfriend from pushing. He showed up at my dorm room one day, when Donna wasn't there, complete with snake, and forcibly tired to get me to touch his snake. Needless to say, the ruckus I created at a lot of people running, Donna included."

"I hope she dumped him," Stella said.

"After she verbally castrated him," Randi said. "I seriously thought that if I checked under the bed, I'd find his balls." That got a laugh from everyone.

"You gonna be okay?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah, I will be. The coffee's helping," Randi replied. And it was.

After a few more minutes of polite chit-chat the group of friends left Mac's office and Randi said up.

"Seriously," Mac said, concern on his face. "Are you going to be okay?"

She smiled and touched his face, liking how his skin felt. "I will be. Next time I go looking for you, though, I'm going to call your cell first. Really don't want a repeat of that incident."

He chuckled. "Good idea."

She reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out a set of keys on a butterfly keychain. Picking up Mac's hand, she placed the keys in his hand. She took a deep breath. "I don't… I don't trust easily when it comes to my personal life and I admit it. But I'm going to try and trust you," she said, knowing this was a big leap she was taking. "One key will get you through the main door and one key will get you through the apartment door. I'll be home after seven tonight, if you want to stop by. We can talk then."

He looked at the just-cut keys and then looked at her. "Are you sure?" he asked, realizing how important this was to her. She nodded. "I'll call you before I come over," he said.

"You don't have to. That's why I gave you the keys; you have an open invitation," she explained. He nodded, closing his fingers around the keys. She smiled, leaned forward, and gave him a gentle butterfly kiss. "I'd better get to work before Hodges has hysterics about the damn budget. I'll see you tonight," she said, standing up.

"Hey Randi?" he said, catching her hand.

"Yeah?"

"We'll work things out, one way or another," he said.

She smiled and it was like warm sunshine filling the room after a cold day. "I know we will. I love you too damn much to walk away just yet."


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: sorry so long on the up-date, thanks for all the encoragement. My muse decided to go for a walk and left me high and dry. Mind you, working a fourteen day work-shift didn't exactly help matters much. Anyway..._

**Chapter 19**

Mac was nervous. He was standing in front of Randi's apartment door and he was nervous. He was a former Marine who had seen his fair share of combat, a veteran New York City cop who'd seen the worst humanity had to give, who had recently faced down a schizophrenic bomber and who had been involved in an explosion set off by that very same bomber. That same explosion had seriously injured Flack and if Mac hadn't literally gotten blood on his hands by plunging his hands into Flack's insides and tying off several bleeders, Flack would have bleed to death. He'd faced all that head-on with the same courage that had always gotten him by.

And now Mac was about to go head-on with the woman he loved and he was nervous.

_Because she holds your heart in your hands,_ he admitted. _And you guard that heart pretty closely, especially after Claire._

Taking a deep breath, Mac inserted the key into the lock and opened the door, not sure what to expect but prepared for anything.

Randi wasn't in the living room or the kitchen.

"Randi?" he called, shutting the door behind him. He spotted two twenty-dollar bills on the table beside the door where he knew Randi kept her keys.

Cautiously, he moved down the hall to where the bedroom and bathroom were, he knew. The bathroom door was shut and steam was rolling out from under the door crack. He could smell a familiar fruity scent he recognized from having smelled it in Randi's hair on several occasions. It sounded and looked like Randi was having a shower. In her bedroom, he spotted a pair of men's flannel pajamas laid out on the bed and her clothes from earlier that day either in the laundry hamper or hanging on the dress dummy.

One thing Mac knew about Randi was that, despite her whirlwind personality, she was actually a pretty tidy person.

A moment later, the bathroom door opened and Randi stepped out amid fruit-smelling steam. She had a towel wrapped around her and was using another towel to dry her hair.

"Oh! Hi! I thought I heard you calling me," Randi said cheerfully. "Make yourself at home and help yourself to the coffee. There's some cash on the table for the delivery boy if he shows up while I'm getting dressed." She either didn't seem to notice or care that she was standing in front of him in nothing but a large towel, water dripping down her back. She vanished in to the bedroom, leaving him standing there with his jaw hanging open.

Deciding it would be best to play along for now, Mac went back in to the living room and took off his shoes and hung up his coat. Fabio waddled over to him and plopped himself at his feet.

"Hey Fab, how you doing, bud?" he asked, reaching down and scratching the dog behind the ears like he knew he liked.

Concerned about Fabio's size, Mac and Randi had once discussed his health. It turned out Randi took Fabio for regular vet checks and had him on a pretty healthy dog diet and he got plenty of exercise. Fabio was simply a big dog that was a mixture of both Basset Hound and Bulldog. The end result was short legs, wide body, short tail, extra long ears, and a punched-in nose. To quote Randi, Fabio wasn't fat; he was simply built like a football player.

Satisfied with the attention, Fabio wandered over to a cushion at the base of the couch and flopped down for a snooze. Mac went to the kitchen and helped himself to a cup of coffee, still fresh and steaming hot. A moment later, someone knocked on the door and he went over to it. An Asian teenage boy stood outside, holding a large bag that smelled of food. Mac's stomach grumbled, reminding him he hadn't eaten recently.

Opening the door, Mac paid the boy and accepted the bag. Curious, he looked inside. Chinese food.

"Ooh, dinner," Randi said, coming into the living room. Mac's eyebrows shot up. She was wearing the large men's flannel pajamas, was barefoot and her hair down, and she looked adorable. "Should be some stir-fried chicken rice in there, which I remember you telling me you liked. I also got some sweet and sour pork," she said, watching as he set the bag on the counter and started taking out items.

There were egg rolls, pineapple chicken balls, shrimp and beef fried rice, deep-fried shrimp, green onion cake, pineapple sweet and sour pork, and beef with vegetables, all items Mac either liked or knew Randi liked, having once gone to a Chinese restaurant with her once.

She handed him some plates and a fork for him, since she knew how to use chopsticks and he still had trouble with them. "Serve yourself," she said, handing him spoons so he could serve himself.

Before he did though, he faced her and gently trapped her against the counter, putting a hand on either side of her. "Randi, what are you doing this for?" he asked.

She went scarlet and looked down, suddenly not looking so sure of herself. "I guess I'm trying to apologize for what I said last time, when we had our disagreement. I've had time to think about a few things and I understand what you tried to do now. I'm sorry," she said. "I've got some major issues with control that I've got to try and work out."

Mac gently lifted her chin up so she was looking up at him and he said, "Randi, I don't want to control you, I want to help you, if I can."

"I know that, now, and I understand. Candy said that we both have our weaknesses and our strengths. My weakness is my family. I've constantly struggled against them. Always been the black sheep of the family and felt like I could never stand up to them. Your strength is that you're not afraid of my family," Randi said. He smiled at that. "But your weakness is that you sometimes get a bit too involved in your cases, like the case with that killer who went after his former girlfriends. I had to slap you with my gloves to get you to take a break." He nodded, remembering. "Candy said my strength was that I wasn't afraid of you and had no problems with calling you on your behavior." He smiled at that. "What I'm trying to say is I'm going to try and learn to trust you a bit more. I want you in my life, Mac, a lot. I'm just too used to doing things on my own, dealing with my own problems, letting people lean on me. Sometimes I forget that it's okay for me to lean on someone once in a while."

"I know how you feel," he said, giving in to temptation and stroking the soft skin of her face. "I've spent too many years being a cop, being a leader, the one people come to with their problems and I've gotten so used to being able to fix those problems that I forget it's different when you're involved in a relationship. The guidelines are different. I admit, I should have spoken to you first before going to see your parents and in the future, I'll talk to you _then_ talk to your parents or your sister. The only time I won't is if they come to me first but you will know what happens. I promise."

She smiled and, tentatively at first, her arms slipped around him. He wrapped his arms around her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before kissing her in a kiss that spoke volumes.

"I'm glad you came," she admitted. "Stupid as it sounds, I've missed you."

He chuckled. "I've missed you too. You drive me crazy but you keep things interesting. Now, as much as I am reluctant to let you go, we need to eat."

They served themselves and headed for the couch. Randi had the _Lord of the Rings _trilogy in the extended version and Mac confessed to having seen the movies but not the extended versions. Randi's response was to place the first of two discs from _Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring_ in the DVD player and hit the play button. After they'd eaten, they had desert, which turned out to be Ambrosia salad from Safeway, something Mac had never tried before and taken an instant liking to. After Randi had placed their dishes in the sink and tidied up the kitchen with Mac's help (he insisted), they had cuddled on the couch under a blanket, Fabio making himself popular by snuggling at their feet and serving as a living foot warmer.

Through the movie, they had talked. Both determined to make the relationship stronger, they covered topics that needed to be covered, like what they wanted from a relationship. They discussed their fears and their previous relationships. Mac even told Randi about Claire. Surprisingly enough, Randi didn't get jealous of his deceased wife. Instead, she understood that he had once loved her and part of him always would. Her belief was every love was different. Mac had loved Claire one way and she knew he loved her another way. Whoever said that there was only one true love in a person's lifetime was either not fortunate enough to having had a chance to love twice or seriously depressed or, worse, very pessimistic. Mac had laughed at that.

Randi had told him what Stewart was up to and what Paul had said earlier that afternoon when she'd gone to see him to discuss their options, which hadn't been very good. Paul had suggested that Randi get a list of character references that might help strengthen their case and turn things against Stewart. That was where Mac reminded her of something.

"Well, if you ever need character references, don't forget, you've got over a dozen cops who saw the last confrontation between you and Stewart. A lot of people heard him threaten you," he reminded her.

Her eyebrows shot up. "That's right, I remember. That's why I staged the whole the way I did, so there would be witnesses in case things got nasty. I forgot, judges _love_ cops."

"They do indeed, especially when those cops are serving as positive character references."

She smiled. "Would you mind…."

"I'll let a few things slip with Flack and the others and let them take it from there," he said, grinning as he stroked her hair. Word would go around like wildfire. Sometimes the precinct grapevine did have its advantages.

She grinned back, enjoying his touch.

_This is the way it's supposed to be,_ he thought, feeling warm and content. _I've got a beautiful, warm, giving woman in my arms whom I'm rapidly falling in love with, I'm comfortable, I've got nothing nagging at me on my desk, yeah, life is good right now._

"Will you stay the night?" Randi asked halfway through _Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_. "I've got a men's shirt in my closet that would fit you if you need a clean shirt for tomorrow. And I've still got those sleep pants you wore last time you were here."

"I can do that," he said, smiling.

She smiled back. All was right in her world. Things would be okay, she knew. She owed both Candy and Angel a major thank-you for their kindness, friendship, and support. Right now, though, she was content to simply enjoy Mac's company and his arms.

_Yeah, my world may not be perfect, but it's a long way from being a mess,_ she thought, smiling contentedly.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: Sorry so long on the up-date. Been a bit crazy at home and at work and when I get tired, my beloved muse goes a-walkin'. Really wish I had a lap-top at work..._

**Chapter 20**

"This is _not _funny!" Randi yelped. "I _hate_ these damn parties!"

"Girl, put up and shut up. After BeeGee's little rumor-spreading, you've got some serious damage control to do," Angel said. "And showing up at the Bradford Halloween party is the best way to do it."

"Can't I do it some other way?" Randi pleaded. Both Angel and Candy shook their heads firmly.

"If it makes you feel any better, we're planning on going as well," Candy said. "I've never been one to turn down a good party."

"That's not a party, that's a bloody blood-sucking, leach-infested, zombie gathering," Randi shot back.

"That might be true," Angel said, "but that zombie gathering, as you so charmingly call it, can help salvage our reputation and shut Bee-Gee's mouth."

BeeGee was the polite version of Beyatch Girl and was the pet name for Catherine Wilcox these days. Randi didn't know who had come up with it and she didn't care; in her present opinion towards her sister these days, it fit.

The three women were in the main office of Back In Time and Randi had just been told she was going to the Bradford Halloween party, which was two nights from today. She'd made her opinion of that _very_ clear and both Candy and Angel had put their foot down. She was going. What she'd said had not been polite and it had resulted in her co-workers laughing at her.

"Besides, there's always a little fun to be had in up-staging your sister," Candy pointed out. "You show up, glammed up and charming, smile sweetly and all that, and you'll have the zombies eating out of your hand, revising their opinions, bring us in more business, and pissing your sister off."

Randi's eyebrows shot up. That idea had a certain appeal to her. "Fine, fine, I give up. I'll go to the darn party. I just need a costume and I'm assuming you girls have some ideas, since you've basically bullied me into this thing?"

"How about Arwen from _Lord of the Rings_?" Angel said. "You've got the dark hair and grace to pull it off."

"Or even one of the dresses Scarlet O'Hara wore from _Gone With the Wind_?" Candy suggested.

"I've got a better idea; let's see what we can find first," Randi said.

The three women, who had all become very good friends, hit the shops. With a bit of luck, they found the green coronation dress Arwen wore during Aragorn's coronation ceremony in _Lord of the Rings: Return of the King_. They also found the Evenstar pendant Arwen wore, a silver and gold headdress worn by Galadriel, and a pair of elf ears.

Deciding to stick to the movie theme, Angel decided to go as Captain Jack Sparrow from _Pirates of the Caribbean,_ confessing to having seen both movies and loving them, and Candy found a white wig and promptly became Storm from the _X-Men_ movies, admitting she admired actress Halle Berry.

What neither Angel nor Candy told Randi was that they had found the coronation costume of Aragorn from _Lord of the Rings: Return of the King._ A little luck turned up his crown, ring, and Anduril, the sword that was reforged from the shards of Narsil and used by Aragorn in _Return of the King._ The two women were going to have a little chat with Mac in the immediate future about his plans for Halloween night.

"Hey Mac?" Angel asked, knocking on the detective's office door later that day.

"Angel, what can I do for you?" Mac asked, smiling pleasantly.

"You doing anything on Halloween?" she asked, coming in to his office.

"Nothing's been called to my attention, but then again, this is New York," he said wryly.

"Good point. Anyway, Randi's attending the Bradford Halloween party that night. If you go with her, you'll stop her from trying to kill a few of the socialites," Angel said. "You'll also help us put Back In Time back in good graces."

"I thought she hated those functions," he said.

"She does and she's not going willingly. We're making her go for damage control due to the rumors Catherine's been spreading. Candy and I are planning on being there but Randi's the main event."

Mac nodded. "What's she going as?"

"Arwen. Don't worry, Candy and I've already got your costume. All you need is a pair of dark brown pants and comfortable black shoes," Angel said. "Oh, and I need to know your ring size for the first finger of your left hand," she said, wiggling the finger closest to her thumb.

Mac's eyebrows shot up. "What will I be going as?"

"Aragorn during his coronation. Do yourself a favor and don't shave for the next two days."

Mac had to think about that for a moment or two before he remembered that Aragorn had a bit of a beard. He chuckled and nodded. After telling Angel his ring size, he asked, "Does Randi know?"

"No, and we're not going to tell her. It'll be a surprise," Angel said, grinning. "I'll drop of your costume and the formal invitation tomorrow."

Sure enough, the next day, after getting back from a case, Mac found a garment bag and box waiting for him. Inside the garment bag were a red turtleneck tunic, "breastplate", ankle-length "chain mail" that would be worn under the breastplate, gauntlets, boot tops, and attached cape with Gondorian wings for the cape. In the box were Aragorn's crown, ring, and sword, complete with scabbard and belt. There was also the formal invitation, a reference picture of Aragorn as king, and a small container of black face make-up in case Mac's face decided not to co-operate and grow his beard fast enough for the party.

Mac got a bit of ribbing from his co-workers about his new look and but it was all in good fun, especially once he explained what he was up to.

"I want to see that," Stella said, grinning.

"Well, I was planning on changing here before heading over there," Mac admitted. "Might be a bit easier, since I'll be finishing my shift before I head over there."

"Makes sense," Lindsey said, grinning. She looked at Danny, who was standing behind Mac, and unbeknownst to him, held up one hand and did a 'camera' gesture, a very broad grin on his face.

_Halloween night, Bradford Halloween party_.

Randi had to fight with herself not to sigh heavily. It was only an hour in to the party and she could seriously feel a headache coming on. Mrs. Stratford, dressed as a southern belle, was yammering away about the next big charity party that she sincerely hoped Randi was planning on attending, something Randi had absolutely no intention of doing, provided she didn't get black-mailed by her co-workers again. She'd spoken to Mac yesterday via phone and made a comment about wishing he was with her. He'd been a big vague but very apologetic, saying that since it was Halloween, he was on call in case the lunatics decided to come out of the woodworks. He did, however, promise to catch up with her for a private dance with her later that night provided she behaved herself and didn't kill anyone. She figured it was better than nothing.

"Oh, my," Mrs. Stratford suddenly breathed. "Now _there's_ a man who knows how to wear a crown." She was looking at someone in the crowd and her eyes had gone absolutely wide. Out of curiosity, Randi followed her line of sight and felt her own jaw dropping.

He may have been wearing a beard but Randi knew him too well. There, chatting easily with the hosts of the party, champagne glass in hand, was one Mac Taylor, dressed as King Aragorn, complete with sword and crown.

"Do you know him, dear?" Mrs. Stratford asked, watching Randi shrewdly.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, that's Detective Mac Taylor of the NYPD. He's a Level One CSI and one of the best," Randi said, sensing an opportunity to work things in her favor. "I've had the good fortune to know him while I was working with the NYPD to evaluate the contents of their storage rooms."

"And?" Mrs. Stratford, asked, hoping for some gossip.

Randi knew this and smiled. "He's a perfect gentleman but he's got a very sharp mind. I wouldn't cross him if I were you. Word is, if the evidence says you're guilty, heaven help you if you get in his cross-hairs because he'll do all he can to nail your butt to a jail cell. He's also very protective of the people he cares about."

"Oh, I would imagine so," Mrs. Stratford said, enjoying this.

"Yes, Catherine, my sister, she made the mistake of trying to come on to him a while back and, Mac, Mac doesn't like that. He prefers _ladies_. Mind you, the word I got was that Catherine also came on to several other men Mac works with and one of them very politely told her that he would rather screw a corpse than her," Randi said conversationally. She knew darn well who had told Catherine that but she wasn't about to say so. Let the woman wonder.

Mrs. Stratford tittered.

"I don't mean to be rude, Mrs. Stratford—" Randi began.

"Oh, please call me Judy, dear," Mrs. Stratford cut in sweetly.

Randi nodded. "Judy, but I think politeness dictates that I go say 'hello' to him. Perhaps I can get a dance out of him. I hear he's quite the good dancer."

"Oh! By all means, my dear, by all mean!"

Randi smiled, and gracefully swept away, feeling as if the evening had just suddenly gotten better.

As Mac exchanged polite chit-chat with Mr. and Mrs. Bradford, something caught his attention and he turned to see a vision of loveliness in the form of Randi, dressed as Arwen in her coronation gown, moving towards him, a smile on her lovely face. He smiled back.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bradford, quite the lovely party this evening, just as you both look wonderful this evening," Randi said politely to the hosts, who were dressed as a medieval king and queen, complete with some very real jewelry. "It's a pleasure to be here."

"Thank you, Miranda and it's lovely to see you here. Have you met Detective Taylor?" Mrs. Bradford asked, smiling.

"Please, call me Randi, and, not only have I met Detective Taylor, but also I've had the good fortune to work in conjunction with him in regards to an insurance fraud case some weeks ago," Randi replied, flashing Mac a wide, charming smile. "Also, I'm in progress with my second evaluation contract with the NYPD and Detective Taylor has been very kind in his assistance with both me, my secretary, and my business manager," Randi said smoothly, earning a grin from Mac.

"Fraud case? Did that have anything to do with Byron Vandersteen the Third?" Mr. Bradford asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Nasty bit of business, but you'll have to understand that, since I was involved with it, I can't really talk about that particular case until it finishes going through the courts," Randi said apologetically.

"Oh, we understand perfectly," Mrs. Bradford soothed. "Nature of the job and all that."

"I understand your former business manager, Stewart, is causing quite the ruckus, suing you and all that," Mr. Bradford said.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Randi said. "I had to fire him due to threats of taking over my business with my sister, Catherine. He threatened to get even with me but made a bad mistake; he said it in front of a large portion of the NYPD."

"He did?" Mrs. Bradford said.

"She's telling the truth," Mac said. "He said, and I quote, '_I'll ruin you, you stupid bitch, see if I don't_.' Unquote. She found out he was attempting to take a percentage out of the business contracts for 'personal fees', whatever that was, and was threatening her secretary at the time if the girl didn't start doing things his way. Fortunately, Randi has a very loyal secretary and she was made aware of this immediately."

"Good staff is hard to come by," Mrs. Bradford admitted, even as Mr. Bradford's eyebrows shot up.

"And Angel is one of the best," Mac said. "That's why she's now the business manager once Stewart was fired. I believe it was a very wise decision on Randi's part. Of course, Stewart also got himself in to some serious trouble when he decided to sleep with Randi's sister at Randi's place, even though, from what I understand, Randi had made it very plain about how she feels about that sort of thing."

"Oh dear," Mrs. Bradford said, taking in this tidbit of information.

"Yes, I believe I did. You see, I consider my home to be my private space, my little domain, if you will, and I do recall asking Catherine to never bring anyone to my place without clearing it with me first. She failed to do that and I'm afraid there are limits to my tolerance. I mean, as a guest in someone's home, you wouldn't bonk someone in your host's bedroom, would you?" Randi said, looking disgusted.

"She did that?" Mrs. Bradford gasped. Both Mac and Randi nodded solemnly. "My heavens! How disgraceful of her! And to such a nice, respectful person like you, Randi." She looked at her husband. "Well, that certainly changes things."

"It's not a pleasant picture, I'm afraid, but it's the truth," Randi said. "Now, I hate to be rude, but I believe this fine gentleman here owes me a dance and I understand your band is quite good." She grinned at Mac and he placed his now empty champagne glass on the tray of a passing waiter.

Arm in arm, after nodding politely to the Bradfords, Randi and Mac swept away to the dance floor. As they moved to the music of a waltz, Randi grinned up at him and gently slapped his arm. "Why didn't you _tell _me you were coming here tonight?"

"What, and ruin the surprise?" he shot back, grinning. "By the way, you look beautiful tonight and you handled yourself well back there."

Randi blushed at his praise. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself. You seem quite comfortable in this setting."

"I may be just a cop but I help run the CSI lab and that means dipping my fingers in politics and what-not so I had to learn how to swim with the sharks a while back. Let's just say I got quite good at it."

"I could stand to learn a few lessons from you. I can swim with the sharks if I have to but I'd rather not but if Angel and Candy are going to insist on this kind of 'damage control' then I'd better learn, hadn't I?" Mac nodded. Suddenly, she clued in to something. "Wait a minute! Did Angel and Candy have something to do with you being here, especially after you told me you weren't going to be able to make it because you were on-call in case the lunatics decided to come out of the woodworks?" He grinned and nodded again, enjoying himself. She briefly entertained the idea of smacking him again, smacking her co-workers, or just enjoying herself. She decided to go for the later and smiled up at him. "Well, it looks like we get our dance after all."


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: this has been coming for a while and I wanted to get it out of the way before I got started on another plotline for this particular series. There'll be one more 'ouch!' chapter after this and then Mac's going to have his hands full with the upper class who do not want to cooperate with a murder investigation. Stay tuned._

**Chapter 21**

Randi had a problem and it was a big problem as far as she was concerned. She wanted Mac in the _worst_ way and the darn man wasn't cooperating. Sure, he was sleeping over at her place more often these days, but aside from his kisses, he didn't finish anything, leaving her aching and wanting. If it weren't for his kisses she would have serious doubts about whether or not he wanted her at all!

She decided to get some information about what to do from Angel and Candy. They were initially shocked by the question but, thankfully, they rose to the occasion.

"You got to set the mood. Put clean sheets on the bed, tidy up the place, that kind of thing. Couple of tea lights and some drinks if it helps," Angel advised. "And don't forget to put the condoms within reach or anything else you think you might need, like lubricant and-or toys."

"And once you've got the scene set up, you need to raise his blood pressure," Candy said, "And the best way to do that is with some super-sexy lingerie that'll blow his mind, never mind his zipper."

"Okay, well that I'm not too sure on," Randi admitted.

"Play up your assets," Candy said. "What does Mac like seeing you in?"

Randi had to think about that for a moment. "Well, he seems to like it when I'm wearing red and my hair down. He also seems to like my breasts."

"So play those puppies up," Angel said. "I'm sure we can find a red lingerie set that'll get him going."

"And I'm thinking lunch is in order before we go shopping," Randi said. "I'm going to need a stiff drink before we do this."

"Why? Surely you've bought lingerie before," Candy said.

"Yeah, for my self, not for a guy I'm practically trying to jump!" Randi shot back.

_Later that evening:_

Mac entered Randi's apartment and took off his shoes and coat, as was his custom these days. He enjoyed sleeping over at Randi's place even though he knew he was driving her crazy with his kisses and no follow up game. He was sincerely hoping she would break down and jump him, which was a private fantasy of his, before he broke down and took her one night. However, he was determined to persevere. He just hoped she jumped in soon; he wasn't sure how much more he could take. He gave Fabio a head-rub as he called, "Randi!"

She stuck her head out of the bathroom, her hair up in a knot. "Just in time. I just got out of the bath. There's some brandy and glasses on the table. Why don't you pour us a drink and I'll be right there once I'm decent," Randi said.

"Sounds good," he said, moving to the table where the brandy and two glasses sat waiting. He neatly poured two fingers of brandy in each glass and was putting the cap back on the bottle when a whiff of a familiar scent caught his attention. He smiled.

When Mac turned around, glasses in hand, and saw what Randi was wearing, he swore his heart stopped beating.

Her hair was in loose tumbling waves around her face and shoulders and she wore a cropped red and black stretch velvet bustier, which pushed her generous breasts to attention while drawing even more attention to her slim tummy. She also wore a double-strap matching thong panty, sheer black thigh-high stockings, and basic black stiletto heels that made her long legs seem even longer. Mac swore he went hard in an instant.

The look in her eyes made his pulse start pounding. She started walking towards him with the quiet grace of a female feline on the hunt. And she was, for him.

"Want some advice, Mac?" she asked huskily.

"Uh, yeah, uh, sure," he managed to get out from a mouth that had suddenly gone dry.

"Find a chair and sit down," she said.

Somehow, he wasn't sure how, he managed to. The glasses went somewhere and he found himself in a chair, his eyes going wide as she oh-so-casually straddled him. She wiggled a bit, making herself comfortable and he groaned softly as her motions drew even more blood to a certain part of his anatomy that was already pretty hard. Smiling, knowing exactly what she was doing, she went to work on his shirt, undoing the buttons.

"Randi, what are you doing?" he finally got out, giving in to the temptation to move his hands and finding her bare buttocks.

"Well, you see, it's like this," she said casually, tugging up his shirt from his pants and attacking the buttons on his cuffs. "I'm a girl with a major itch problem and a real hunger for a certain somebody. So, I got tired of waiting and decided to take matters into my own hands."

"Oh." He wasn't sure what else to say. This was practically a fantasy come true.

She giggled as she divested him of his dress shirt and went after his undershirt. That was gone a moment later. Then she leaned close and whispered huskily in his ear. "Basically, Mac, I'm seducing you. You got a problem with that?"

He reached up and slid one hand into her hair, pulling her face close to his, inches away from his mouth while the other hand slid up her back, drawing her closer to him. "Not in the slightest."

And that was the last coherent conversation either of them had for quite a while.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it._

**Chapter 22**

New York had been hit with their first major snowfall and everywhere you looked, there was snow. The temperature wasn't too bad but there had still been plenty of accidents on the road and the streets as people struggled to adapt to this sudden environment change.

Randi was walking through Central Park with Fabio and the Three Sweeties, also known as Tootsie, Macaroon, and Licorice. They were having a great time romping through the snow and playing with each other. Randi had offered to take Candy's dogs for a walk while she took her own dog for a walk and Candy had gratefully taken her up on the offer.

She wore a long wine-colored wool winter coat that stopped at her ankles and was edged with a wide border of cream 'fur', including around the cuffs, hood, and collar. It had a slightly nipped-in waist and a few hidden pockets. Randi had bought the coat two years ago and, as far as she was concerned, it was a good investment because it kept the cold out well. She also wore soft wool and suede leather gloves, a cream wool scarf, matching newsboy hat, dove-gray wool pants, and an angora-lambswool turtleneck sweater in bright blue and pink. On her feet was a pair of black clog ankle boots with a wide faux fur cuff, tassels, and a 4-inch heel. Mac would shoot her if he saw her wearing those, as he would be concerned about accidents.

And speaking of Mac, Randi smiled as the memory of the previous nights filtered through her mind. Mac had been showing up at her apartment in the evenings more often and now that they were past the "Get your pants off, boy!" stage, Randi was finding Mac to be a wonderful lover. Sometimes they made love but other nights they simply cuddled and talked. That was fine by her, as she knew the nature of his work often wore him out mentally as well as physically. Some times he didn't say much and that was okay too. That simply meant there was a case that was troubling him and he was trying to work out the pieces of the puzzle.

While Randi was lost in her own thoughts, she didn't realize that the four dogs had managed to wrap their leash very soundly around her ankles. The end result was that Randi suddenly found herself falling… straight down a steep incline. The path she'd been walking along was a switchback and set against a hill and was considered a jogger's haven. Right now it was completely covered in snow and Randi was tumbling straight down it.

Shrieking and yelping, Randi tumbled down the hill, head over heels, kicking up snow as she went. All four dogs followed her, tumbling and yapping excitedly. At some point she did manage to get her feet back under her, sort of. Amid a confusing blur of colors and snow and, yes, pain, Randi _swore_ she saw someone heading straight for her, just before she did a not-so-graceful swan-dive and tackled that person full-on. Then she was tumbling down the next steep incline with that person.

They finally managed to stop when there was a bit of a valley before the next path. Both Randi and the newcomer lay there, groaning. At some point Randi had lost her hat but Fabio came running up to her, hat in his mouth and an expectant look on his face. Then Mac appeared over her, concern on his face.

"Randi?" he asked, huffing a bit. She sat up and shook her head, getting rid of the snow, but man-oh-man was she ever dizzy. She watched as Flack and Danny (why were they there?) hauled the man next to her up and cuffed him.

"He was a bad boy?" she asked Mac, struggling to stand up but finding her legs had decided not to cooperate with her.

She stumbled into Mac pretty hard, he stumbled, right to the edge of the path where, unfortunately, there happened to be another steep incline. Mac struggled to keep his balance but, alas, the Fates were against them. One of the Three Sweeties, in their eagerness, danced excitedly around Mac's feet and, combined with the fact that Randi was already off balance and trying to hold on to him, and Mac lost his balance, taking Randi with him.

"_Randi!_" Mac yelped even as she shrieked "_Not again!_"

Danny made a desperate grab for Mac but missed and all he, Flack, and the suspect could do was watch as they tumbled down the hill.

They finally stopped at the bottom of the hill, Randi on top of Mac. He was wearing his usual suit and winter boots but was also wearing a heavy navy wool overcoat, gloves, and scarf.

"Hi," she said, sitting up, ironically on his lap. "Fancy meeting you here. Y'know, as much as I enjoy this particular position, if I'm gonna get it on with you, I'd rather do it some place warm."

Mac sat up, dusting the snow out of his hair and staring at Randi. He didn't know whether to strangle her, kiss her, or fuss over her. He settled for the fussing part, at least until he found out what, exactly had just happened.

He, Danny, and Flack and been chasing after a suspect wanted for questioning on a drive-by murder when the guy had bolted. They had given chase and Flack almost had the guy when Randi had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, yelping, tackled the guy, and both had gone tumbling down the hill.

At the top of the hill, Danny grinned mischievously as he quickly snapped a picture of the scene bellow them with his camera phone. He had wisely grabbed the leashes of all four dogs, preventing them from chasing after Mac and Randi. It was Flack who had gotten Randi's hat back from Fabio and given the dog a friendly pat on the head.

"Perfect blackmail material," he told Flack, who grinned when he saw the picture.

"You alright?" Mac asked as they stood up, unaware of what was going on at the top of the hill.

"Dizzy, sore, but otherwise okay. Sorry about that," Randi replied, dusting herself off, both from her coat, hair, and face and, unfortunately, under her coat. "Let me guess, that was a rabbit you were chasing," she said.

Rabbit meant running suspect and the chasers were known as hounds, also known as the cop or cops whom the suspect was stupid enough to bolt on. They were terms Randi had coined when Mac had told her about having to chase down a suspect once. Rabbit-hunting meant suspect-hunting and, ironically, they were terms that were slowly starting to be used by the other cops, especially by Flack when Mac had told him what Randi had called his not-so-favorite form of exercise.

"Yeah. Nice tackle by the way," he said as they made their way back up the hill.

"Not intentional," she said. "I lost my balance somewhere way the heck up there and things get kind of confusing after that."

Mac chuckled and reached up to accept the hands offered by Danny, who also reached out to help Randi. Flack handed her back her cap and she put it back on her head.

Then she turned back to the suspect, a black male wearing a puffy winter jacket, jeans, and boots and looking a bit winded. "Sorry about that," she said.

"Not your fault, lady. I admit I shouldn't have run from the coppers but hey, even smart guys like me do stupid things," the guy said. "Nice tackle though."

"You behave yourself from here on and who knows, they might go easy on you," Randi said.

"You know 'em?"

"Yeah but some days I think they really don't _want_ to know me," she said, causing all three men to grin. "I tend to be a bit of a walking disaster."

"Don, Danny, why don't you take this guy back to the station while I take Randi home?" Mac said.

"Good idea. I think I'm going to call it a day and soak my poor bones in the tub," Randi said.

"That's a very good idea!" Flack said, with Danny agreeing wholeheartedly.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Randi studied the woman in front of her as she quietly sipped her cup of tea, which had been graciously offered by her host, Mrs. Maria Nashwood. They sat in the living room in ottomans facing a large, crackling fire with tea and small treats on a silver tray between.

Maria assumed she was there as a casual visit, which is what she'd initially told her, but she was actually breaching the Nashwood sanctuary as a favor to Mac.

Wanting to look the part of a business client simply paying a casual visit to a good, respectable customer, she was wearing low-rise jeans decorated with attractive black lace and beadwork appliqué going up one leg. In keeping with the low temperature of the fall-but-more-like-winter temperatures of New York, she was also wearing a long sleeve angora-lambs wool turtleneck sweater in a rainbow-mix of bright colors with ruffled cuffs. On her feet were black toggle-closure faux suede boots with spillout faux fur lining and a three-inch heel. Wanting to go for a classy look for the meeting, a large red, white, and gold enamel and rhinestone padlock necklace glinted in the light, as did large gold hoop earrings. On her wrist was a wide gold cuff-bracelet watch with a mother-of-pearl face and earlier the butler had taken her duster-length sheepskin coat and leather gloves.

"This is an unexpected pleasure, Miranda," Maria said, also sipping her tea. She was dressed in a classy, but pricey, wine pantsuit made by Givenchy that made Randi mentally cringe at its _plainness_, in her personal opinion. She liked the colorful and the unusual for a reason; they stood out from the plainness of the wealthy.

"But a pleasure indeed," Randi replied. She had to play this game carefully, she knew, because one wrong move could have her booted out the door with Maria's high-heel shoe-print on her butt. "How is life treating you these days?"

That lead to a discussion about the latest parties and rumors, the later of which Randi allowed to go in one ear and right out the other. This lasted about ten to fifteen minutes and then Randi made her move.

"I understand young Edward managed to get himself in to a spot of trouble with New York's finest; something about refusing to co-operate with a murder investigation involving Jake Dales," Randi said.

Maria laughed but it was a forced laugh. "Where could you have possibly heard such a rumor? I was under the impression Jake Dales had been the victim of an unfortunate accident. "

"With the people I come in contact with, Maria, you'd be surprise by what comes my way. Surely you know that," Randi replied, setting her cup down on the tray and leaning back in her chair, crossing one knee over the other, and assuming an air of casual authority. "As for the 'accident' part, you get a few knocks and bruises from taking a tumble down a rock-strewn hill, sure, but those leave distinct marks, marks that are not the same as when you get used as a human punching bag."

"I would imagine so," Maria said uncomfortably.

"In fact, my sources are saying that all the police are asking for is a simple DNA sample to eliminate Edward as a possible suspect and he's not co-operating. In fact, he's being downright difficult. Makes one wonder just what that boy has to hide," Randi continued on conversationally.

"He has nothing to hide!" Maria denied vehemently.

"Really? Maria, you know as well as I do that it's only the guilty who refuse to play nice. If Edward has nothing to hide, if he really wants to help solve the unfortunate murder of Jack Dales, then wouldn't he be willing to submit a DNA test?" Randi shot back, leveling the woman with a steady, unflinching gaze. "All he's doing is casting even more suspicion upon himself and his family name. You know as well as I do that people are going to wonder."

"This isn't just a casual visit, is it?" Maria demanded, her face catching fire as Randi's logic hit home.

Randi just looked at her. "I'm here as a friend, nothing more. I'm also telling you like it is. Cops don't care if you have money coming out of your ears, especially the officer investigating Jack's murder, if your son is guilty, they will nail his sweet tush to a cell without hesitation."

"And if he's not guilty?"

"They'll leave him alone and consider him an eliminated suspect."

"How do you know all this?"

"I did some work for the NYPD and with amount of close-contact I had with them, well, I learned a few interesting things. People talk to me, Maria. Remember?" Maria nodded. She did indeed remember. Randi switched tactics and went soft. "I believe you when you say Edward is a good kid but this whole refusal to co-operate with a murder investigation is casting some seriously dark light on not only him but you and your family as well." She smiled sympathetically. "Let the cops have their DNA sample; it's just a swab of the mouth and probably takes all of ten seconds to do. What's the harm in that?"

Maria had to admit that Randi was right. It would make the family look good if they co-operated with the police and if they co-operated, maybe the police would leave them alone.

"If it makes you feel better, I can be there when they do the swab," Randi offered. "Or you can call your lawyer and have him present."

"Would that make the police suspicious?"

"It might since a suspect lawyering up usually means they have something to hide."

"In that case, there is no need to call our lawyer. I must admit though, I will discuss this with my husband."

"That's fair and understandable. If you need anything from me, if there's anything I can do to help, simply call me on my cell and I'll do what I can. However, Maria, there's one thing I need you to do for me and I'm afraid I must ask this of you," Randi said.

"If I can then I will," Maria said, wondering where this was going.

Randi sighed heavily, as if reluctant to bring this up. "Believe me when I say that I believe you when you say Edward is a good boy. However, I'm afraid you're only seeing what he wants you to see. As much as I don't want to hurt you, both you and your husband need to see this," she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a CD and handing it to the woman. It was a complied collection of videos from various sources showing Edward at his not-so-finest moments. Randi had suggested it to Mac and Danny and they had worked with the AV lab and various other sources to create the disk. For Edward, it was the visual equivalent of his curtain-call.

"What is it?" Maria asked, accepting the disk and studying it curiously.

Randi stood up and said, "The truth about a few rumors about your son." She smiled sympathetically. "Thank you for the tea but I'm afraid I must be going. You know how it is; too many things to do and not enough time to do it all."

Maria nodded in understanding and summoned her butler to escort Randi out, as well as summon her a cab.

Once she was safely away from the Nashwood home in the cab, Randi took out her cell, dialed a number and waited. Then she spoke to the person on the other end. "Hook, line, sinker. I'd give it twenty-four hours, max, before you get a visit from the Nashwood family with Edward in tow, sans lawyer." She smiled at something the person on the other end of the line said. "Don't worry about it but don't be too surprised if Mama Nashwood asks me to be there. She likes me, I think."

_A/N: got your attention? No, you didn't miss a chapter, I promise. This is sort of an experiment in where they do those stories that dump you straight into one confusing mess and work backwards to where the mess all originally started, which then starts to make sense. Keep reading; it gets interesting, I promise. :D_


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: trying to keep time lines straight are a bit of a pain in the butt so I made a minor adjustment._

**Chapter 24**

_Two days earlier:_

"What do we have, Don?" Mac asked as he studied the body of a white male sprawled at the bottom of a rocky ravine as he tugged on his gloves. Sheldon was already down there, studying the body.

They were at Berkley College, a prominent New York college and it was late morning on a cold day. No snow had fallen the night before but Mac knew his chances of getting good foot prints in the area were pretty much nil due to the number of people having tramped through the area where the victim had been found.

"His name is Jack Dales, goes to Berkley College and was majoring in Law Enforcement. Basically a good kid," Flack said, reading from his notes. " Couple of students spotted him, called 9-1-1, and it was his girlfriend, Judy Melandros, who identified him."

"When was the last time anyone saw him?"

"Judy said he left the library around ten p.m. after a long session of studying."

"And probably a few other things," Mac said, grinning.

"I mentioned that and she vehemently denied it. Turns out Jack was quite the serious student. He loved her but he also wanted to get his Law Enforcement degree and he was trying to keep his marks up," Flack said, also grinning.

"Bet she loved that."

"Actually, she was quite proud of him."

"Sheldon?" Mac called down as he made his way down to the CSI.

"He might be at the bottom of this ravine, Mac, but he sure as heck didn't die down here," Sheldon called back. "There are a number of bruises on the body that are not consistent with a fall." As Mac joined him, he lifted the shirt from the torso and revealed bruises in the stomach range, consistent of someone being repeatedly punched there. He also indicated bruising around the victim's face that was not consistent of a fall but rather of a vicious beating.

"So is it possible someone beat the victim to death and then threw him in the ravine to make it look like an accident?" Mac asked.

"I'd say it's very possible. Won't know for sure the extent of the beating until Sid gets his hands on him but I'm seeing a lot of rage here," Sheldon said. "Someone was not happy with this boy." Just out of curiosity, he lifted the victim's lips to reveal his teeth and shined his light. He started grinning. "Looks like our boy fought back." He got out his tweezers and pulled some black hairs from the victim's teeth. Then he took a swab and swabbed the blood from the victim's teeth as well.

Mac lifted the victim's hands and spotted bruising. "He did indeed." The knuckles got swabbed as well.

It took them several hours of painstaking work to collect the rest of the evidence before they were able to go back to the warmth of the lab.

"Looks like a simple case of a beating-turned-murder-turned-cover-up," Flack said as he watched the morgue workers bring up the body.

"Haven't you learned anything yet, Don?" Mac asked, grinning.

"What's that?"

"Murder is never simple," Mac said. He couldn't have been more right.


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: somehow, by the grace of God, I actually got two chapters done in one day, lol._

**Chapter 25**

_Thirty-six hours later:_

Mac scowled in frustration. The murder case of Jack Dales was not going well. Mentally, he reviewed yet again what he and Sheldon had.

He and Sheldon had collected DNA evidence not belonging to the victim, showing at least three other attackers. Problem was, none of those unknown DNA's were in CODIS.

There had also been various fibers of unknown origin on the victim, the kind of fibers one would find in vehicles and blankets. They had tentatively identified some of the fibers as belonging to a particular make of vehicle but without a sample to compare it to, they had nothing.

Sid had confirmed that Jack had been beaten to death before being transported and thrown down the ravine and he'd found some fist-type bruising they could use to identify who hit him based on the size of the fist. There were also shoe marks on the victim's body, which had been identified as a very expensive type of shoe and a men's size 9.

Flack had managed to obtain campus security video showing Jack getting in to a confrontation with three students by the names of Edward Nashwood, Peter Markham, and Bryan Raies. That interview had not gone well as Flack later reported the students to be a bunch of stuck-up-snobs with a serious attitude problem.

Interviews around campus, however, had shed some more light on Jack, Edward, Peter, and Bryan, along with a tidbit about Jack's girlfriend, Judy. It turned out that Jack had been from a blue-collar family and was at the prominent college on a scholarship. Judy, on the other hand, was the daughter of a wealthy family. She was studying Business Management and was very, very upset about her boyfriend's death. She'd known he wasn't wealthy but, according to her and her roommate, Jack had seen something 'special' in her and treated her with respect as a person, not as a girl with a lot of money to her name. It had taken her a while to warm up to him but he'd been gently persistent and had eventually won her heart completely.

Edward, Peter, and Bryan were also all from wealthy families and they knew it and flashed it.

Many students considered the three boys to be nothing more than spoilt, rich snobs and bullies. After having dealt with them, Mac could see their point. He'd come close to punching Edward when the young prick had gotten mouthy with him when he'd simply requested a DNA sample to eliminate him as suspect. Then, of course, all three young men had lawyered up. Edward had all but bragged about 'maybe' having had a hand in the victim's death but since there was no concrete evidence, no one could touch him and money could buy a lot of things, something he was not short in supply of.

The stupid thing was, everyone else, including Jack's girlfriend, had co-operated and all had been eliminated, leaving the T's, as Sheldon called them, meaning Troublesome Triplet Terrors, but since they weren't co-operating, the case had stalled. The parents of the T's claimed they were 'good boys' who would never have been involved in such a 'horrible' incident and had refused to let Mac or any of his people search the dorms without a search warrant. Unfortunately for them, it looked like one of those parents knew a judge who'd refused to grant the search warrant without more evidence.

And that was where Mac found himself now.

He was at Randi's apartment, sitting in what was becoming a favorite chair, a cushy recliner, and he smiled at her as she handed him a cup of coffee. Fabio was at his feet, or, more accurately, on his feet, snoozing away contentedly.

"Long day?" she asked quietly as she settled into the couch beside him.

"Difficult murder case," he said apologetically.

"Any thing I can do to help?"

That was the one thing he really liked about Randi; she could listen to him for hours without interrupting, except to offer insight, insight that was often well thought-out and, on occasion, helpful. The thing was, he often found that talking to her about the cases helped clarify them in his mind and suggested new directions for him. He had to give her credit; she never shied away from the cases, not even the more grisly ones. She respected his work, just as she respected him.

"You wouldn't happen to know the Nashwoods, Markhams, or the Raies, would you?" he asked teasingly.

"Matter of fact, I do know the Nashwoods. Went to school with their daughter, Andrea. We didn't share the same social circles but she and I shared some classes together and she was always kind to me. I've also done business with the Nashwoods. Why, what's up?"

And he told her, venting his frustration and anger at the boys' behaviors.

"They act like it was the victim's fault that he got killed," Mac said. "Simply because he wasn't of their social standing. One of them made a crack about him 'sticking with his own type' because he got involved with a girl from the Melandros family."

Randi nodded in understanding. "The Melandros are a pretty wealthy Italian family that came over during the twenties and basically earned their wealth. They not only earned it but they kept it and last I heard, they were doing pretty good."

"She was pretty devastated by the murder and she was also cleared."

"And all your evidence is pointing at the three boys?"

"We have plenty of video evidence that shows their behavior, Don and I came pretty close to punching them out once or twice, and the victim had gotten in to several confrontations with them prior to his death. All we need is a DNA sample that would either clear them or nail them and they're being difficult about it."

"Makes me wonder what they have to hide," she mused. "Tell you what; if it will help, how about if I pay the Nashwoods a visit? I won't threaten them or anything, but I think I can probably appeal to them to play nice if I remind them that they have reputations to protect. The Nashwoods are a pretty decent family."

"I hate to ask but would you mind?"

Randi's answer was to reach for an address book beside the phone, which was beside the couch on a nice oak side table. She flipped through it, found what she was looking for, picked up her cordless phone, dialed a number and was soon speaking to Maria Nashwood.

"Good evening Maria, it's Miranda Wilcox. Oh, I'm fine thank you, just fine. I do apologize for interrupting your evening but I'm planning on being in the area tomorrow and was wondering if I might drop in on you, simply to see how you and your family are doing." She grabbed her PDA from the coffee table, and quickly checked her schedule. "Three o'clock? That sounds wonderful. I'll be there and I look forward to seeing you. All right, bye."

She made a notion on her PDA and smiled at Mac. "You ask, sweetie, you get."

Mac smiled back. "Thanks, Randi, I really appreciate this."

"No problem. Mind if I make a suggestion?" she asked.

"Go for it."

"Compile a disk of all the video you got of Edward's behavior, everything you have that shows him at his worst, and I'll give it to Maria, in case she has trouble believing that her son might not be quite the golden angel she wants to believe he is."

"Ammunition," Mac said, nodding.

"In the form of the truth, one they _won't_ be able to sweep under the carpet."


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N: hope this chapter is up to my usual standards. R&R and let me know, please and thank you!!!_

**Chapter 26**

"Miranda, thank you so much for coming," Maria Nashwood said, smiling gratefully at Randi.

"As I've said before, Maria, if there's anything I can do to help, just say so," Randi said, smiling back.

It had been twenty-four hours since Randi had spoken to Maria and given her the CD video. Maria and her husband, Collin, a distinguished gentleman in his late fifties, had shown up at the police station sans lawyer, their youngest son in tow, wanting to talk to the investigators in charge of Jack Dales' murder investigation. Randi had arrived shortly afterwards via a phone call request from Maria.

Now they waited for Mac, Sheldon, and Flack. Edward had been placed in an interrogation room and husband and wife stood behind a two-way mirror, watching their son. Edward had not seen nor met Randi and, for reasons of her own, she wanted to keep it that way for a bit longer.

"I just find it hard to believe that Edward would display such behavior," Maria said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Randi sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I had to show you that, but it was necessary. You saw what a lot of people saw and dealt with all the time in regards to Edward. I'm aware that he's you son, but this has gone on for far too long and it's got to stop. Bullying is against the law and it puts not only him in a bad light, but your family as well. It also opens you guys up to a lot of potential lawsuits as the victims decide to get even through your wallet."

"We're aware of that," Collin said.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Randi asked, deciding to play a little hardball.

Just then, Mac, Sheldon, and Flack joined them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nashwood, sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Detective Mac Taylor," Mac said. Earlier, he and Randi had decided to downplay the fact that they knew each other for the sake of keeping the issue of conflict of interest out of the courts. Randi was wearing a nice, waist-length cream-colored cable turtleneck sweater and denim jeans with butterflies and flowers painted up one leg. She also wore her favorite heeled faux fur and leather boots and long winter coat, which she'd removed earlier. Her hair was pulled back in a crystal clip that matched her jeans for brightness. He thought she looked soft and adorable at the same time. "This is Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, CSI, and Detective Don Flack. I wish the circumstances were better but thank you for bringing your son. I'm hoping we can resolve this matter quickly."

"Before we do, there is one more thing that needs to be seen," Randi said.

"And that is?" Collin asked.

"I'm aware that you still find the video contents hard to believe, therefore, I offer proof," Randi said. "I'm going to go in to that room and pretend to be keeping Edward company. I'm placing bets on a cup of coffee that says within the space of twenty seconds Edward is going to be making a pass at me." She looked at the Nashwoods and said, "Edward hasn't met me and won't recognize me. He'll just think I'm another woman for him to play games with."

Husband and wife looked at each other and both nodded.

"Your usual?" Mac asked Randi.

"Bring it on," Randi said, straightening her sweater and preparing to enter the lion's den.

"What are you here for? Keeping me company?" Edward asked, grinning at Randi as she walked in to the room and stood beside him, keeping herself at an angle so that the people behind the mirror could see exactly what was going on, as he turned to face her, obviously stripping her clothes off with his eyes.

"Consider me a friend of the family," Randi said coldly, looking at the young man with polite disinterest. "I'm here to make sure you behave yourself while we wait for the investigators to show up."

"I'm all about behaving, baby," Edward leered. "Maybe after we finish this crapshoot, you and I can go somewhere and have some real fun."

"Sorry, but I'm taken by someone a little more… _mature_ than you," Randi shot back.

But Edward wasn't to be deterred. "Really? Doesn't bother me," he said. "I'm not gonna say anything to him."

She just looked at him and folded her arms across her chest.

He grinned at her and suddenly his hand shot out, giving her butt a hard squeeze.

And, without blinking, Randi's booted foot shot out.

_BAM!_

Edward suddenly found himself flat on the floor, dazed and trying to decide which hurt the most, his head from where it had made contact with the concrete floor or his chest from where Randi had just kicked him with the force of a mule. The kick was going to leave a bruise, he knew.

"_That_ was a classic," Flack said, grinning from the other side of the glass. He was referring to the scene where Jessica Simpson's character had planted her foot in a jerk's chest after he'd grabbed her ass in the 2005 _Dukes of Hazzard_ movie remake.

"And it was deserved," Maria said coldly. Her husband nodded, his face set.

"Oh yeah," Josephine Nashwood said, having seen what had just happened as well.

Edward got up from the floor, cussing and holding his head. "You _bitch_. You're gonna pay for that. By the time my lawyer gets through with you, you'll be selling your _pussy_ just to make ends me."

"Sure about that?" Randi asked coldly, standing her ground firmly, hands at her side, feet balanced and ready in case Edward decided to try something else.

Maria walked in, followed by Collin and Josephine, Edward's middle sister, who had joined them while this had been going on. She had been apprised of the situation and had seen the video. Needless to say, she was not happy. Edward's eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to say something but before he could, mother slapped son, snapping his head around viciously.

"I thought I taught you better than that," Maria hissed as Edward held his face in shock. "Obviously not."

Then, to add insult to injury, Josephine struck the other side of Edward's face. "That's for all the women who've you done that to. I'm ashamed of you, _brother_," she growled.

"As for a lawyer, you'll get one, but you'll be paying for it out of your own pocket," Collin said coldly, looking at his youngest son with contempt. "I'm cutting you off financially. You will submit a DNA sample and you will remain in the custody of the police until they have determined whether or not you're guilty or cleared."

"And if I'm cleared?" Edward demanded, not believing this was happening to him.

"Then I suggest you get a job, like the rest of the population," Collin replied coldly.

"And it won't be from any of us," came Peter's voice as he came in to the room and joined them, being the last to arrive. He too had been appraised of the situation. He was the eldest of the three Nashwood children and was working his way up through a successful business company. He looked at his younger brother with contempt and said, "You spoiled little brat. You had everything you could ever ask for and this is how you behave? Yeah, we might be wealthy but that doesn't give us the right to act like self-righteous pricks or to treat others the way you and your buddies have."

Edward stared at his family, his jaw flapping soundlessly like a fish out of water. Finally he said, "You can't do this to me! I'm family!"

"Precisely," Maria said. "You are expected to up-hold the family name and your behavior reflects upon the rest of us. You have brought a great deal of shame and humiliation to us with your actions, both towards your peers, the police, and Ms. Wilcox and, quite frankly, I have never been more so disgusted with you as I am now." Edward's face went pale. "You will apologize to both Ms. Wilcox and the investigators in charge of Mr. Dales murder investigation. You will also co-operate with the law to the fullest extent starting now."

"But I didn't do anything!" Edward protested angrily. "That jerk, Jack, he had it coming! He should've stuck with his own kind, not messing with a girl like Judy Melandros! He didn't belong with her!"

"That's not for you to decide. From all accounts, Ms. Melandros genuinely loved that young man and he loved her just as much and it sure as hell wasn't for her money," Josephine shot back angrily. "A love like that, for people like us, that's like a damn dream come true."

"And besides, if you didn't do anything, why did you protest at having a simple DNA sample taken?" Peter shot back. Edward had nothing to say to that. "Hmm? You're supposed to have all the answers, brother dear, so start talking, _now._"

While this had been going on, Randi had quietly slipped out of the room and joined Flack, Mac, and Sheldon behind the one-way glass as they watched and listened.

"Nice kick," Mac said quietly.

"Yay for yoga," Randi replied just as quietly. "Forget I ever said this, but I enjoyed that."

"We heard nothing," Sheldon said just as quietly, grinning alongside Flack.

"What will happen now?" Randi asked.

"Well, we still need to get to Markham and Raies," Flack said.

"I can call a meeting of the head of the families and lay down the law on 'em, if that will help," Randi offered.

"Nothing illegal," Mac warned.

"Nothing illegal about what I'm thinking. Just requires that you guys wear your best suit and that includes ties," Randi said.

"I hate ties," Sheldon gripped.

"Maybe, but appearances count just as much and make just as much a statement when it comes to these families. It's like court," Randi said, an idea forming in her mind.

"I hate court," Flack groused.

Everyone chuckled.

"What do you have in mind?" Mac said.

"We're going to need a sharp lawyer who's associated with the police and two of the biggest, meanest looking cops in the NYPD. Then I'm going to have a quiet word with my parents and borrow the Wilcox dinning room and turn it into a meeting room, complete with hidden camera in the chandelier. Oh, and I'd better tell Candy to get herself a dull but proper 'secretary' outfit," Randi said, mentally going through a list of things that would need to be done in order to pull the meeting off.

"I hear an 'and' in that sentence," Sheldon said.

"Yeah, _and _I've got hit Bloomingdales for a damn suit that's going to nearly break the frickin' bank," she groused. "These people recognize power by fashion and if we want to play hard-ball, we have to look the part."

"Ms. Wilcox?" Maria called.

Randi walked back in to the room, followed by the three men.

"Yes?" she asked politely.

"My most sincere apologizes in regards to my youngest son's outrageous behavior towards you," Maria said with dignity. "If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

"Got the yearly Bear-a-thon coming up in December," Randi said easily.

"I know of it," Josephine said, smiling. "What's your goal this year?"

"Well, we hit two hundred and fifty last year so this year we're going to try for three hundred or higher," Randi said.

"Let me know when it starts and expect a hefty donation from us," Maria said, smiling.

"Will do," Randi said, smiling pleasantly.

Then Collin turned towards the three men and said, "My son has consented to a DNA sample."

"Good," Mac said. He reached inside his coat, took out a pair of latex gloves, snapped them on, and took out a swab box from the inside of his jacket. "Open up," he said to Edward, who glared at him but opened his mouth.

"How long will this take?" Edward demanded once the sample had been taken.

"Depends on how busy the lab is. It could take anywhere between two to three, maybe even four days if the lab is backed up," Sheldon said easily.

"You can wait here or you can leave but word of advice, Eddy?" Flack said. "Don't go far."


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N: once again, sorry for the delay and thank you for the nice reviews. Here's a nice long chapter for your enjoyment, so enjoy!_

**Chapter 27**

"Why are we here?" Peter Markham groused as he studied the orient dining room belonging to the Wilcox family.

"We're here because Miranda Wilcox asked us to be here so shut your mouth, young man," his grandmother, Dorothy snapped. "You're in enough trouble as it is."

"Coffee or tea, ma'am?" Candy asked politely.

"Tea would be lovely, dear. Do you have Orange Pekoe?" Dorothy asked.

"I do indeed, ma'am," Candy replied as she expertly served the lady. She then turned her attention to Conrad Markham, Dorothy's husband and Peter's grandfather, and served him his requested coffee and the same with Jerry Wayne, the family lawyer.

"I just don't understand why Miranda asked that our lawyers be present," Sidney Raies said, father of Bryan Raies, accepting his cup of coffee from Candy. "Do you know, miss?" he asked Candy.

"Ms. Wilcox doesn't reveal her plans or her thoughts to me, merely her directions. I do my job and leave it at that," Candy replied smoothly as she continued to serve the rest of the gathering. "However, I have learned that Ms. Wilcox usually has her reasons."

"Well, at least she was polite about it," Mathew Raies, said. He was Sidney's father and Bryan's grandfather. He was also the head of the Raies family and ruled with an iron fist. "Miranda may be of eccentric taste but she does have class and I will not deny her an audience if that's what she wishes."

"There are some rumors circulating that she's been associated with the NYPD," Benson Hayes, family lawyer for the Raies, cautioned. "After this latest business with the Dales murder and both Peter and Bryan being questioned, I would exercise caution."

"So noted," Mathew said, even as Bryan's smirked.

"Speaking of which, has anyone heard or seen Eddie Nashwood lately?" Peter asked casually.

Those who knew Edward Nashwood simply shook their heads. It was like the loudmouth, brash member of the Nashwood family had vanished off the proverbial radar. No one had seen or heard from him in almost two days and the other members of his family weren't saying too much.

Outside the dining room, past the huge, closed double-doors, Mac, Sheldon, Flack, and NYPD lawyer Kevin Cameron waited patiently. Also with them were two cops, both built like bears and both in uniform. With the exception of the two cops, McEntire and Smithers, everyone was dressed in their best suits and ties, but Sheldon was fidgeting with his.

"I hate ties," he muttered, trying, once again, to straighten his.

"If you would quit futzing with it, it might help," came Randi's quietly amused voice as she joined them.

She wore a navy-colored silk crepe de Chine suit in pure silk with matching high heels. A cream-colored camisole peeked out from under the blazer and a four-inch purple, white, and blue glass-stone butterfly brooch was pinned to one side of the jacket, remaining true to her sense of eccentrics and uniqueness. Every time she moved, the stones caught the light and sparkled. Her hair was pinned up and simple crystal studs were in her ears, allowing the brooch to be the center of attention, which was the purpose of that particular piece of jewelry. Everything about her appearance fairly screamed 'class' and 'elegance'.

She smacked Sheldon's hands away from his tie and neatly adjusted it for him. "Now leave it alone."

"Yes, ma'am," Sheldon replied, grinning.

She moved over to Mac and quietly began fussing over his jacket and tie while speaking quietly to him and allowing herself a quick moment of tenderness with him.

"Are you ready?" she asked quietly as she adjusted the jacket collar and smoothed the lapels.

"Nervous as hell but yeah, I'm ready. You?" he asked just as quietly, allowing the fussing since it gave him an excuse to be close to her.

"Bundle of nerves but I can fake it with the best of 'em. I'm just hoping there won't be any major trouble," she replied.

"We'll be right behind you the whole time."

She smiled at that. Just then, Candy came in to the hallway.

"Hey, boss, natives are getting restless," she reported, smiling at Sheldon, who smiled back. She was wearing a simple grey suit and white blouse with basic flats, benefiting her position as Randi's secretary.

"Is everything in place?" Randi asked.

"Ready and waiting," Candy said.

"And our little secret weapon?"

"In place and broadcasting loud and clear," Candy replied.

"In that case, gentlemen, it's show time. Do you all know what to do and where to go?" Randi asked.

There was a round of nods. Candy smiled and quietly entered the room again, closing the door behind her.

Randi took a couple of deep breaths and as the assembled group watched, it was like a change slid over her. Her shoulders went back, her head and chin leveled, and her hands relaxed at her side. A gleam came to her eyes. The men fell behind her, as per the arrangement and Randi moved towards the doors. In one smooth move, she shoved both doors open, announcing her presence.

She moved to the head of the table and Mac, Sheldon, Flack, and Kevin moved down the table to the opposite side of where the Raies and Markhams were seated and seated themselves. McEntire and Smithers closed the double doors and took up position on either side of the doors. They were there primarily as visual intimidation and extra help in case things got nasty.

In the room, at the end of the table, was a large DVD player and a large flat-screen TV on a mobile TV stand. The remote was on the table where Randi now stood. Also there was a digital recorder.

Randi quickly took and held center stage, showing right away just who was in control of the meeting.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate you coming to this meeting. For documentary purposes, this meeting will be recorded and a copy kept in a secure place," Randi said. She reached out and pressed a button on the recorder before continuing to speak. "The date is November 28, 2006 and the location is the Wilcox residence." She gave the full address of the location before continuing. "I am Miranda Wilcox, owner of _Back In Time Antique Appraisals. _I am also known as simply Randi. Starting on my right, I ask that each person formally identify themselves for the record."

She nodded at Kevin, who spoke.

"Kevin Cameron, lawyer on retainer for the New York Police Department."

"Detective Mac Taylor, CSI, First Grade, NYPD."

"Detective Donald Flack Jr., NYPD."

"Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, CSI, Third Grade, NYPD."

"Candice 'Candy' Monroe, secretary to Miranda Wilcox."

"Peter Markham, grandson to Dorothy and Conrad Markham. Current occupation, student."

"Jerry Wayne, lawyer on retainer for the Markham family, currently serving as Peter Markham's legal advisor."

"Dorothy Markham, wife to Conrad Markham and grandmother of Peter Markham. Co-head of the Markham family. Retired."

"Conrad Markham, husband to Dorothy Markham and grandfather of Peter Markham. Co-head of the Markham family. Retired."

"Bryan Raies, son to Sidney Raies and grandson to Mathew Raies. Current occupation student."

"Benson Hayes, lawyer on retainer for the Raies family, currently serving as Bryan Raies' legal advisor."

"Sidney Raies, father to Bryan Raies and son to Mathew Raies. Board administrator of Lexcomp Industries."

"Mathew Raies, head of the Raies family, retired."

"Sergeant William McEntire, NYPD."

"Officer Mark Smithers, NYPD."

"Thank you. The purpose of this meeting is very simple," Randi said. "It has been brought to light that Peter Markham and Bryan Raies are being questioned in regards to the assault and murder of Jack Dales, found deceased on the campus of Berkley College on the morning of November 22, 2006. Video evidence led the NYPD to question and detain Mr. Edward Nashwood. DNA evidence found on the victim was found to match Mr. Nashwood and he has subsequently been arrested and charged with manslaughter."

"What does this have to do with Peter and Bryan?" Benson asked.

"Initially, both young men were asked to submit a DNA sample in an attempt to eliminate them. Both flat-out refused," Randi said.

"That's our right," Peter snapped.

"I will not deny that," Randi replied coolly. "However, it is _not _your right to be unnecessarily rude towards the investigating officers, threatening them with complaints against them for harassment."

"Neither of these young men had anything to do with the murder," Sidney stated firmly. "They're good kids."

"In that case, Mr. Raies, allow me to demonstrate otherwise," Randi said. She picked up the remote and pushed a button. "Please draw your attention to the video." The screen flickered to life and various images began to play across the screen. "This is a compilation of various video sources from various locations around Berkley College and other unnamed sources." She let the attended gathering watch the video for a moment before saying coldly, "As you can clearly see, Bryan and Peter _are not_ good kids. Their behavior, in fact, is against the law."

"We were just having some fun!" Bryan protested.

"Your _fun,_ young man, is called 'bullying' and New York State has some very strict laws about that," Kevin replied coldly. "I'm sure your lawyer can tell you that."

After a moment, Randi shut the video off, looking at the two families. The looks on their faces ranged from anger to shock to incredulousness. "Now, that video is not public knowledge but there's nothing that says it won't stay that way. The end result will be a lot of people finding out just what kind of sons both the Markhams and the Raies have and, once that happens, I'm sure a lot more of what the video _doesn't_ show will come to light as people begin talking. I don't think I need to tell you how much damage that will do." She looked at the two families with a cold eye.

There was silence at the table for a moment before Dorothy Markham spoke up. "What sort of evidence do you have that says Peter and Bryan were involved in the death of Jack Dales?"

"We have video evidence that show Peter, Bryan, and Edward confronting the victim. Time and date stamp indicates they were one of the last to see him alive," Mac said. "We also have several witnesses that say the three mentioned young men got in to it with the victim shortly before his death. Upon issuing a search warrant for Edward's dorm room and vehicle, we found fibers in Edward's car that matched ones we found on the victim, along with the victim's blood in the trunk of the car. A search of his dorm room turned up a blood-splattered jacket. Testing has found blood belonging to the victim and three forgiens, one of which we have positively identified as belonging to Edward. Blood-splatter analysis on the jacket shows the jacket was worn when the victim was assaulted. The transfer was not of a passive nature."

"All we need is a simple DNA sample from the two young men, which will either eliminate them or convict them," Sheldon said.

"We weren't there when that jerk was killed!" Bryan protested angrily.

"Prove it," Flack replied calmly. "Give us a DNA sample. It'll only take a second or two at the most."

"What is Edward saying?" Jerry asked shrewdly.

"At this moment, due to the nature of the case, we refuse to say until the evidence is in," Kevin replied calmly.

"You have arrested him though, which was stated," Benson said.

"Yes, we have," Kevin said.

"So surely he's said whether or not Peter or Bryan were there the night of the attack," Jerry said.

"Again, due to the nature of the case, we cannot reveal what was said," Kevin said.

"We have a right to know!" Peter demanded.

Randi eyed him coldly. "Young man, I do believe your hearing needs to be checked. You obviously failed to hear what Kevin said, therefore, I will repeated it for your benefit. He stated that, due to the nature of the case, he cannot reveal what Edward has said. You are clearly a bright young man; don't act like a spoilt little toddler," she said, watching as his face flushed with anger. "Now, NYPD has stated their position. I have stated mine." She looked at each member of the Raies and Markham family, holding their gaze. "I say again, I am asking that Peter and Bryan co-operate with the police to the fullest extent and quit acting like spoilt little boys. Know this, along with manslaughter, Edward has been charged with sexual assault. Based on that video, which we have all seen, both young men can subsequently be charged with harassment and sexual assault as well."

"What do you want?" Dorothy asked tiredly.

"The DNA sample and both your families getting a tighter grip on your sons, effective immediately," Randi said coldly. "No more games with the NYPD. No more bullshit. If they've done wrong, let them pay the way the rest of society pays. If they haven't, fine. Then let this be a lesson to them and let it sink in, _fast_."

There was a quiet round of tired resignations and sighs from the assembled families. Finally Conrad spoke up.

"I think I speak for both families when I ask that if you, Miranda, and the NYPD, would give a moment of privacy?"

"We can do that. Simply let my secretary know when you're ready," Randi said graciously. She nodded at the NYPD members and they stood up and, following her, filed out of the room, McEntire and Smithers the last to leave and closing the door behind them.

"Now we wait and see what happens," Randi said, leaning against the door and dropping her act.

"What was that 'secret weapon' you mentioned?" Flack asked.

Randi grinned mischievously. "I trust those kids as far as I can throw 'em, and the same goes for their lawyers."

"Ditto here," Sheldon said.

"Just in case someone decides to 'alter' the recorder or 'destroy' the video or any other stupid stunt to get themselves out of trouble in court, we've got back-up," Randi explained. "There was a hidden camera in the chandelier, complete with one very sensitive microphone. It's been going since the first member set foot in that room and it's still going."

The grins started. The chandelier in the dining room had been huge and glittering and hard to miss but not something one paid much attention to. A hidden video camera would be hard to spot amid the lights and glass.

"Where's the data being sent?" Kevin asked.

"To a location in the house. Once this whole thing is over, it will automatically be forward to you, Kevin, as well as Sheldon, Mac, and Flack, for safe-keeping," Randi said.

"I _like _you!" Kevin said, grinning broadly while the other men smiled in appreciation.

"Sorry, sweetcheeks, I'm seeing someone," Randi teased. "And I'm afraid he's a wee bit possessive of me." She winked at Mac, grinning.


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: Many, many, many appologizes for the mucho delayed up-dates on this story. I assure you I will attempt to finish this story in a satisfactory way, along with my other story. CSI: Nick and the Lady. Thank you all for your patience. I know this chapter may not be up to the usual standards but I assure you all it will get a bit better in the near future. Once again, many thanks for your patience._

**Chapter 28**

It took less than half an hour for the Raies and the Markhams to make their decision and it was apparently done with raised voices from behind the doors. The assembled group couldn't hear exactly what was being said but they knew they would find out later when they went through the videotape.

Finally Candy came back with a message that said they were ready and that a decision had been made.

Everyone filed back in and took their respective places.

"I understand you've come to a decision," Randi said.

Conrad Markham stood up and said, "Yes, we have. Both boys will co-operate fully with the NYPD and grant you their DNA sample. We will also permit a search of their dorms and homes."

"I'm glad to hear that," Randi said, smiling plesantly. "And if the DNA samples match what evidence the police have?"

"Then they will escorted directly to the police or, should they be arrested, there will be no trouble from either of them," Sidney Raies said tiredly. "There will be no trouble from any of us."

"And should the boys prove to be guilty?" Randi asked.

"We will, of course, provide them with a lawyer as is their right but we will not interfere with the process of things," Mathew Raies said.

Randi looked at Peter Markham and Bryan Raies and said, "Do you two gentlemen understand this?"

There was a chorus of "Yes ma'am" from the two sullen young men.

"I'm glad to hear that. Detectives, they're all yours."

Mac and Sheldon stood up and each took out a pair of latex gloves and a swab. They went around the table and, ignoring the dark looks they were getting from Peter and Bryan, quickly took their sample from the boys' mouths.

"We should know the results in a few days," Mac said casually as he capped the sample and tucked it back in its box.

"In the mean time, until we know the results, may I strongly advise that neither of you two young men make any plans to leave the country any time soon," Kevin said.

"We give you our word on that," Dorothy Markham said.

"In that case, I consider this meeting adjourned," Randi said. "You are welcome to stay for refreshments or, should you decline otherwise, you may leave. However, I take my leave of you, as does the NYPD." And with that, she and the said NYPD filed out of the room.

It took three days but the DNA results came back and confirmed what Mac and Sheldon and Flack already suspected; Bryan and Peter were guilty. Both young men were arrested and, as promised by their families, co-operated to the fullest.

Bryan and Peter admitted to the beating but claimed Edward Nashwood had started the whole thing. He just would not leave Jack Dales alone and this had cumulated into the beating and subsequent death of the victim. Mac, Sheldon, and Flack decided to let the D.A. sort out the mess, since that part didn't really matter to them; they had caught the pricks by their balls and that was all that mattered.

"Looks like I owe you one," Mac said later to Randi as they snuggled on the couch.

"You don't owe me a darn thing. You have your connections, I have mine," she said.

"True. Speaking of connections, how's it going with Stewart?"

"Judge threw the case out of court thanks to the evidence and witness testimony so kindly provided by your friends," she said, grinning.

The truth was there had been so many cops behind her in the courtroom that the judge had finally asked if all those cops were supporting Randi or providing witness testimony. When she'd learned that the cops were supporting Randi, along with a fair number providing testimony on behalf of Randi, and the dozens of other people behind Randi, all for the same reason, she'd nearly fallen off her bench in shock.

"Glad to hear that," Mac said, grinning.

"I just hope things return to normal now," she said.

"What is normal with you?" he quipped. "_Ack!_" he suddenly yelped when she retaliated by going after his ticklish spot. "No fair!" he laughed, protesting as he fought her off.

"Nothing's fair in love and war, buster!"


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N: thanks again for the kind reviews. What has finally helped me is that I've actually got a chapter-by-chapter lay-out of what I'm going to write in regards to the story. In the mean time, enjoy!_

**Chapter 29**

Mac stared at the cases on his desk and mentally started swearing all over again. He had at least four on-going cases on his desk, all stupid, petty crimes, nothing major, but ones that had to be processed netherless. He'd clear one out of his docket and two more would land on his desk. Right now he was down to the four cases and was not placing any bets that things would slow down any time soon. As a result, it had been nearly two weeks since he'd even laid eyes on Randi. They'd been playing phone tag a lot lately and it was as if the Universe was conspiring to keep the couple apart and their timing lousy. Mac was beginning to get frustrated, to say the least.

"_Hey sweetie, it's me. Sorry I missed you. I was in another one of those stupid meetings with the Bankcroft Association. You know what they're like. In the mean time, hope you're doing well and catching your bad guys. I swear, once things settle down again, it's you, me, and the nearest damn hot-tub._"

"_Hey sweetheart, it's Mac calling back. Suspect was driving me up the wall during interrogation. Mind you, I thought Don was going to strangle the guy, but we busted him and that's all that matters. Your hot-tub idea sounds like a really good idea, if I wasn't so afraid of accidentally falling asleep in the tub. As for things settling down, this is New York, remember? Catch you soon._"

"_Okay, who are you attempting to not strangle this time? I may be reasonably wealthy, my love, but last time I checked, judges don't look too kindly on cops doing manslaughter or even attempted murder, which means your bail, provided the judge even decides to grant one, might be a bit out of my reach. As for falling asleep in the tub, don't worry; I'll make sure you don't drown. Ah, jeeze, not again. Candy, I thought we took care of that? -background noise- Bloody hell. Sorry, love, another one of my clients attempting to be a bit difficult, even after I thought everything was squared away. By the way, I think Fabio misses you. Catch you soon._"

"_If you do attempt to murder your client, at least let me know so I know to stay away from that particular crime scene, or at least help you stage it so that you don't get busted for murder. Glad to know Fabio misses me, but I'm not so sure the squad room misses him -chuckling-_. _I miss you too, by the way. Work's just gotten so crazy lately that it feels like I haven't even had time to shower, never mind sleep. Some times it's all I can do just to drag myself home. Feel's like every jackass in New York has decided to up the general level of stupidity. Even Stella's noticed it. And I thought it was just me._"

"_No, sweetie, it's not just you. I can't tell you how many times I've dearly wanted to thump a few of my clients for one thing or another. And the strain is apparently getting to both Candy and Angel as well. I'm starting to wonder if someone tampered with the water supply and added something that makes the plain stupid expand to even stupider proportions. And I miss you to. Hopefully we'll catch each other at a time when neither of us are quite so busy. Talking to your message service is getting kinda boring and I'd rather have the real thing -chuckling softly-_"

Randi sat at her desk, staring at her phone in disgust. She'd just left the latest message on Mac's cell and she had to admit she was missing him badly. She was sick of hearing his stupid cell phone message but knew, from his messages, that it wasn't really his fault. Mac was a cop first and foremost and his duty was to the city. And besides, she was busy as heck as well, what with her business sky-rocketing to the point that she and Angel were seriously considering hiring another antiques evaluator just to keep up with the number of requests they've had as of late. Just like she had an obligation to her job, Mac had an obligation to his and she knew she wouldn't have it any other way.

_But he's also a man, and more importantly, he's my man and damnit, I want my man back!_ she thought bitterly.

But what to do? Going to the NYPD crime lab was a waste of time since she never knew when he'd be there and besides, that was his workplace and what she wanted to do to him would be considered indecent by many people. And calling him, well, with the way their luck was running, she'd probably get his answering service again. She was beginning to wonder if she was going to have to book an appointment just to even _talk_ to him.

_Wadaminute… that's not such a bad idea,_ she realized, a light bulb snapping on in her head. And she didn't have to go through Mac to get it as she could always get ahold of Stella and get her to help.

_It might just work…._ She reached for the phone.

"_Bonasera,_" came Stella's crisp voice.

"Hi Stella, it's Randi. How are you?"

"_Hey, Randi! It's good to hear from you! We're going absolutely crazy here. Seems the idiots of New York are trying to set a new record for the number of stupid stunts in one week, never mind one day,_" Stella groused.

Randi chuckled. "Sounds like we need a girl's nite out again. Listen, the reason I'm calling is because I kinda sorta need a bit of a favor and I'm hoping you can help."

"_Do what I can. Does this involve Mac?_"

"What makes you say that?" she asked, not sure how much Mac had told his co-workers about their relationship.

"_Because Mac normally gets grumpy when we get landed with a heap-load of cases but this time he's ready to give the next asshole a serious enema with a wire brush._"

"Um, ouch."

"_Yeah._"

"Well, what if what I'm asking has great potential to put Mac in a better mood, at least for a while?"

"_In that case you have my full support and probably the backing of the entire lab and I will go out of my way to help you. Start talking,_" Stella said, a grin in her voice.

"Okay, this is what I'm thinking…."


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N: thank you all kindly for your kind reviews. Once again, I appriciate your patience and hope this chapter is up to your usual standards._

**Chapter 30**

"Wait a minute, what do you mean I have an appointment?" Mac protested as Stella shoved him towards a conference room.

"You heard me. You have video call appointment in precisely six minutes and you need to get your butt to that room," Stella said easily.

"Yeah, rumor has it it's a pretty important call and you would hate to miss it," Sheldon said, who was helping Stella haul Mac to the conference room.

"And that means getting comfortable so if you need coffee or anything else, better grab it now," Danny said, following them.

"But who is the appointment with?" Mac protested, not liking this at all.

"I don't know, but Hillborne promised some serious repercussions if you didn't make that appointment," Stella said. "I've already managed to get on his bad side once and really don't feel like doing it again, at least not any time soon."

Mac nodded in understanding. He just wished he knew who and what this video call appointment was about so he'd at least have idea as to what the heck was going on.

"Oh, and I should warn you, from what I was told, this person is known for punctuality," Stella said.

"Okay," Mac said.

"And being extremely chatty," Sheldon said, opening the door to the conference room and ushering Mac inside.

"And you don't even know this person's name?" Mac asked, raising one eyebrow as he moved to the table, where a laptop sat humming quietly. It was attached to the Internet and an earclip headset sat next to the laptop, also attached to the laptop. Clipped to the top of the laptop was a webcam. The computer's program was already up and running and Mac was starting to get a nagging suspicion that he'd been set up.

"That information wasn't given to me, I'm afraid," Stella said evasively as Mac sat down in the chair. And with that, she and Sheldon bustled out of the room, shutting the door behind them, ignoring his glare.

Sighing heavily and straightening his jacket as best as he could, Mac slipped the headset on and waited.

At precisely 2pm, the computer beeped, signaling an incoming video call. Mac clicked on the appropriate button to accept the call and a window popped up. And Mac's jaw dropped open.

"_Hey handsome. Miss me?_"

"Randi?" Mac finally managed to get out, his eyes going wide, even as he started grinning.

And it was indeed Randi, complete with headset and a mischievous grin on her face. Black stilettos were perched on the table, putting her in a reclining position, which simply showed off her very sexy black teddy, decorated with floral appliqué and thin straps. Keeping her warm was a black velvet robe that was open. She looked very, very sexy and Mac groaned softly as he developed an immediate hard-on.

Randi chuckled softly. "_I got frustrated at the constant phone tag so I decided to make an appointment with you. Had a bit of help but, hey, it worked. For the next half an hour, at least, love, you're mine._"

"And if I get called away?"

She smiled mischievously. "_I wouldn't worry too much about that._"

"Oh?"

"_You're not the only one with contacts, sweetheart,_" she reminded him.

Mac chuckled. "It is good to see you, even if it's not quite face to face," he said.

"_Well, I'm hoping this will tide both of us over until things do settle down a bit. I'm not placing any bets as to when, but a girl can hope._"

"True, and the thought is greatly appreciated."

She smiled and for the next half an hour they chatted about everything and anything, determined to make up for as much lost time as they could. Then Randi reminded Mac of something.

"_You know, you do have a key to my apartment. If you ever get tired, or whatever, you are more than welcome to come over and crash._"

"I know," he admitted. "I was just a bit concerned that you might think I was trying to jump you or you'd be cranky at my showing up at almost one a.m. at night."

She chuckled softly. "_Mac, sweetie, you are always welcome at my place, even after midnight, always._"

"In that case, now that I know that, don't be too surprised if I do show up and simply crash."

"_Be nice and say 'hello' to Fabio while you're at it,_" she said, smiling.

It was almost an hour later when Mac finally emerged from the conference room. None of his friends failed to miss the small smile that was on his face or the fact that he clearly appeared to be in a much better mood.

"Mission accomplished," Stella quietly said to Sheldon, Lindsey, Flack, and Danny, who had all been in on the whole thing, right down to setting up the conference room and detouring anyone who attempted to get ahold of Mac.

"Looks like it," Lindsey said, grinning at the bulge Mac's jacket just barely failed to hide. "Wonder what Randi was wearing?"

"Something black and lacy and probably see-through," Stella suggested.

"And you know this how?" Flack asked, grinning.

Stella smiled mischievously and said, "Because I'm the one that suggested it in the first place?"

"Talk about a man in pain," Danny said.

"Thank God for cold showers," Sheldon said, grinning broadly.


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: thank you once again for your kind reviews and your patience. Hope this chapter was worth the wait._

**Chapter 31**

It was late at night when Mac entered Randi's apartment, the end of a very long shift for him. The lights were off, with the exception of her kitchen night-light, which glowed warmly from its position in the open kitchen.

There was an odd feeling of coming home as he stepped inside the cozy apartment and dead-bolted the door behind him.

He heard a snuffling noise and looked down to see Fabio padding towards him from the vicinity of Randi's bedroom. Mac took off his coat, hanging it on the coat tree, knelt down, and offered his hand to the dog. Fabio sniffed and then permitted his ears to be scratched. He smiled and as he did so, a memory came to him.

It was an incident that had occurred when Randi had still been working at the NYPD during the first round of storage clean-outs, just before they had seriously started dating.

_Flashback:_

Mac saw the little boy waiting in the waiting room, swinging his feet absently. The boy had to have been no more than about six or seven, with sandy brown hair, jeans and shirt, Caucasian, and a lonely, lost look about him. As if sensing he was being watched, the boy looked up at Mac and smiled hesitantly. Mac smiled back.

Just then Flack joined him.

"What's with the boy?" Mac asked.

"We're questioning his dad in regards to a robbery and then we may question him, depending on what we hear," Flack said.

Mac nodded. "When was that?"

Flack had to think about that and said, "I think about an hour ago." His brow furrowed as he realized the implications of what he'd just said. "Has anyone even checked on the kid?" he wondered aloud.

Mac went over to the boy, just as Randi and Fabio came in the building, heading towards the elevator. She smiled at him, blushing as she did so.

Today she had chosen to wear a pretty burnt velvet jumper dress in black with multi-colored panels inserted in the wide, flowing skirt that brushed her ankles. It was shaped to her body by a curving under-corset in a brightly red Chinese brocade material, decorated with gold and silver dragons. She also wore a white white pheasant blouse, gold-colored high-heeled sling-back sandals were on her feet, and her hair was pulled back in a loose braid, decorated with a fake orchid flower.

As they passed them, Fabio looked at the boy, who looked at him, curious, which was understandable. After all, how many kids had seen a dog quite like Fabio?

While Randi waited for the elevator, Fabio, who was still on his extendable leash, went over to the boy, snuffling. The boy grinned and cautiously held out his hand, to which Fabio promptly stuck his head under, silently demanding to be scratched.

"That's Fabio," Mac said, joining them.

"He's weird, but in a kinda weird-cool way," the boy said.

Mac grinned in understanding. "I know what you mean. Hey Randi?"

"Yeah?" She smiled when she saw the situation and came over. By now Fabio was enjoying a really nice belly rub. "I see you've made a new friend, Fabio," she said to the dog, crouching down beside him. The dog gave her a dopey-eyed look that clearly suggested he was quite happy where he was. "Tell you what, if you want to stay for a bit and enjoy the attention, Mac can always take you to me when you're done." Mac nodded in agreement.

The boy's face lit up. "You don't mind, ma'am?"

Randi smiled warmly. "Not at all. Fabio makes friends all the time and I've noticed he really likes kids. As long as I know where he is, I'm not going to worry about him. He's already done his thing so he's good for a while," she said. "Oh, if he decides he's going to jump in your lap, give him a hand. He makes a good lap-warmer but I should warn you, when he snores, he drools."

Both Mac and the boy laughed. Randi gave the dog an affectionate pat and headed for the elevator banks, flashing Mac a shy smile again, which he returned.

Mac elected to stay with the boy, Davey, until the detective involved came for him. Once Mac explained Fabio's presence, the detective, Detective John Flaghorn, upon Mac's suggestion, allowed Fabio to come in to the interrogation room. A child's advocate lawyer joined them a few moments later and raised a question about Fabio's presence.

"He belongs to a friend who works with the NYPD," Mac explained. "It seems Fabio gets along pretty well with kids and he's well trained."

By now, Fabio was in Davey's lap, looking very content and, certain that Davey was in good hands, he told Flaghorn to page him when Fabio was ready to be returned to Randi.

Flaghorn paged him roughly half an hour later and he was chortling when Mac caught up to him, Fabio's leash in hand and Fabio at his feet, dozing.

"What's so funny?" Mac asked.

"Did you know that dog snores?" Flaghorn asked.

"Randi did mention something about that," Mac admitted. "How bad?"

Flaghorn grinned. "Bad. The inhale sounded like a large grinder while his exhale sounded like someone had put a bunch of bolts and nuts in a blender and turned the thing on to high speed. His snoring made the table vibrate because his whole body was vibrating with every snore."

Mac grinned. "That's bad."

"Yeah, but despite the snoring, he really helped Davey. Too bad we can't use him for a therapy dog. He was really good with him," Flaghorn admitted. "He may not win any points for looks but that dog has a good heart."

_Present day:_

Smiling fondly, Mac headed for the bedroom, Fabio snuffling behind him. Without turning on any lights, except the one in the bathroom, he stripped off his work clothes and slipped into the pajama bottoms Randi had kindly left for him in the bathroom. She'd even provided him with a clean toothbrush and razor and shaving cream, knowing he shaved in the morning and preferred gel instead of soap.

He smiled at her thoughtfulness.

A few minutes later he slipped in to bed beside her and took a moment to study her sleeping form. The moonlight played over her delicate features, reminding him of a goddess or a nymph, or even a sleeping fairy.

It hit him hard just how much he'd missed her. _Never again,_ he promised himself. _Never again will I let myself go for so damn long without seeing her, without touching her. I need her too much._

With that, he lay down and drew her against him. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled against him, reaching for him in her sleep.

_Never again._


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: call this a building-block chapter if you will, as well as a brain shortage. Thanks for your kind reviews and I hope this chapter is up to your expectations. Besides, we haven't seen Candy or Angel around for a while._

**Chapter 32**

"Good grief!" Randi yelped.

Mac stuck his head back in the bedroom, where Randi stood staring at her closet. He checked his face over for any missed fuzz as he grinned at his girlfriend.

"Every thing okay?" he asked.

"Well, I was planning on doing a closet organization today and I knew my closet was bad, but I didn't realize it was _that_ bad!" she said, clearly exasperated.

Mac grinned even wider. "Wish I could help you but-"

"Yeah, I know, I know. You've got to go to work and sort out everyone else's mess," she said. She glared at her closet, which was jam-packed with stuff. "Oh well, I'll just haul the girls over and, if I get desperate enough, I can always make use of Nyanya."

Mac just chuckled in amusement. He was getting ready for work and it was Randi's day off. Since that night he'd come over after a long shift and fallen asleep in her bed, he'd been spending a lot more time over at her place, to the point that she had offered to clean out a section of her closet for him. He'd teasingly asked if such a thing was possible and that had resulted in a massive tickle fight.

Since it was her day off, she'd opted to wear a crop top in bright pink and black under an old men's flannel pajama top in blue and black that she'd filched off of him, since he'd admitted it had seen better days. She was also wearing low-rise jeans with bright pink ribbon criss-cross lace-up on sides and ankle socks in bright blue, with her hair pulled back in a pony-tail and secured with a brightly-colored scrunchy.

"You going to be okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I always am but if you hear an explosion coming from the direction of this building-"

"I'll come running," he assured her.

_A few hours later:_

"Okay, here's the deal," Randi said. "What's in the closet is what I've decided to keep. What's on the bed is a case of if you like it, take it. What ever is left I'm going to let Nyanya have a crack at. And then, whatever is left over after that, is going to the nearest Salvation Army."

Angel and Candy looked at Randi and then looked at the pile of clothes on her bed.

"You're serious," Angel said.

"Very," Randi said.

"Why the trim-down, girl?" Candy asked.

"Mac's been spending a lot more time over here to the point that he's here more often than he is at his own apartment and I decided to try and make some room in my closet for him."

"You two _are_ serious!" Angel yelped, grinning.

"Looking that way," Randi said, blushing.

"Girl, in all the time I've known you, I've never seen you this serious about a guy before," Angel said.

"Yeah, well, Mac's kind of easy to love. Sure, he can be stubborn, pig-headed, and meaner than a rottweiler when he's after a suspect he knows is guilty, but he can also be kind, gentle, very much the gentleman, and very romantic when he chooses to be. He's also got the patience of a saint," Randi admitted, flopping on to the bed.

"Let me guess; Fabio," Candy said, sitting down beside her.

Both ladies were dressed in casual clothing, colors and styles varying according to their individual tastes. Angel was wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt showing a picture from the movie _Corpse Bride_, red tartan bondage pants, black combat boots with red laces, black socks decorated with white cobwebs, and black armwarmers decorated with white spiders and cobwebs.

Candy had elected for a pair of sporty ankle boots in red and white, stud-decorated jeans, fuzzy white socks, a black t-shirt that said "_Don't hate me because I'm beautiful; hate me because I'm a BITCH_" and a large, fuzzy sweater wrap in soft pink.

"That's a large part of it. Plus, you know yourself, I can be a bit eccentric and Mac is a man of science," Randi said.

"True," Angel said, finding a spot on the floor and flopping down. She grinned as she heard Fabio bow-wowing down the hall, chasing after the Three Sweeties, who were yapping excitedly. "Sounds like the kiddies are having fun."

"As long as nothing gets broken, that's all that matters," Randi said. "Tell you girls what, I'm gonna go order some lunch so you two pick what you want out of that pile and let me know what you want to eat."

"_Rickie's _still doing their special?" Candy asked.

"Far as I know," Randi said.

"I love their Greek salads and their pizzas," Angel confessed. "But I'm gonna have to watch that for a while 'cause the anchovies don't seem to be settling too well with me lately."

"You doing okay?" Randi asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that… well… I just found out I'm pregnant," Angel admitted.

Both Candy's and Randi's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious, girl?" Candy yelped.

"Does Trey know?" Randi asked.

"He knows," Angel admitted, blushing. "He's really excited about the baby and we're making plans to get married soon. I was gonna tell you guys on Monday but, we're here now so… _yipe!_" Both Randi and Candy tackled Angel, tickling the girl unmercifully. "Hey, no fair! Ack!" The tickle fight lasted for a few minutes before they finally stopped, all laughing and all out of breath.

"Seriously, Angel, I'm happy for you," Randi said.

"Same here, girl. Whatever happens, we'll help you through anything you need, together," Candy said.

"Thanks, guys. You don't know how much that means to me," Angel said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Hey, that's what friends and family are for," Randi said. "Now, don't start blubbering, because if you do, I'll start, and then Mac will wonder what started everything." She grinned. "Now, I'm hungry, so whatdaya want?"

Both ladies chimed in, "_Rickie's!_"

"_Rickie's_ it is."


	33. Chapter 33

_A/N: I decided a conversation between Mac and Stella was in order :D In the mean time, thanks for your patience and your kind reviews. I'm going to start winding this story down as a new story involving Mac is in the works, a special collaboration I hope to have posted by the middle of next month. Keep an eye out for it as I'm sure you'll all like it._

**Chapter 33**

"Hey Mac, what gives?" Stella asked.

Mac raised an eyebrow in confusion as his partner caught up to him as they headed down the hall at the crime lab. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You've been looking a lot happier and a lot more content these days, like you've actually been sleeping well lately," she replied. "What's your secret?"

He smiled. "I've been staying with Randi a lot lately."

"Ah, that'll do it," she quipped, grinning. "You two getting serious?"

"I'm thinking about it. I don't know what she thinks but I'm seriously thinking about it, especially considering how much time I've been spending at her place lately."

"How much time?" Mac's face went red and Stella grinned broadly. "Let me guess, a lot."

They stopped at the staff breakroom and grabbed a cup of coffee.

"I'm serious, Stell, Randi is… in a lot of ways she's nothing like Claire in terms of looks and personality, but in some ways she is. She loves life, grabs it with gusto, and she cares," he admitted. "I've lost track of how many people call her a friend. She's determined, gentle, wild, crazy…"

"And you're head-over-heels in love with her," she finished.

"Yeah, I am," he admitted.

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

"I'm afraid to."

"Because of Claire."

"Yeah. When I lost Claire, when we couldn't find her body, it hurt like crazy and I just… I don't know. I don't want to go through that again but at the same time, not having Randi in my life would probably hurt just as much. I'm starting to look forward again, Stell, and I'm afraid."

Stella studied the man who had been her friend and her partner for a number of crazy years. They had seen the worst and the best of each other and had been there to help each other as much as they possibly could. They had fought, sure, but they had also forgiven, backed, and supported.

9-11 had been hard on everyone, more so on those who had lost someone in the Towers and whose remains were never found. She remembered how devastated Mac had been after the loss of Claire and how much effort it had taken for him to pick up the pieces again, knowing how much he had loved her. There were some days she'd sworn she was going to have to haul him out of bed and hit him just to help him try and start living again.

But he had. Slowly but surely he'd begun to pick up the shattered remains of his life and move on. She'd been there for him as best as she could, both as a friend and as a partner. And now, knowing that he was finally trusting his heart to someone new, someone special, she was mentally cheering him on. She wanted nothing more for him to be happy, something he deserved as far as she was concerned.

And Randi? She liked the woman. She was eccentric, sure, especially with her clothes and with Fabio, but she was a good friend, one who could be counted on to lend a hand without asking, protective, loyal, and Stella genuinely believed Randi honestly cared about Mac. She had seen the way Randi was around Mac, fussing over him, arguing with him, even standing up to him, and she knew that's what Mac needed. Sure, Randi came from big money if the rumors were true, but she didn't flaunt it the way her sister, Catherine, had. Instead, she preferred to make an honest living with antiques. And Candy and Angel? Randi had given the former prostitute a second chance, one few people would have offered her. Randi had also taken the Goth girl under her wing and, from what she was hearing, had turned Angel in to a very-well respected business manager. Word had it too that all three women were fierce friends, as evidenced by the way Randi had gone after the cop who had gotten mouthy with Candy on her first day working at the NYPD.

Stella chose her words carefully.

"Let me ask you something; do you regret the time you spent with Claire?" she asked.

"No, I don't."

"Even though it caused you a lot of pain?"

Mac thought about that for a moment. "I have no regrets," he admitted.

"So if you could change the past, change it so that you never met Claire, would you?"

Mac thought about that. "No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't change a thing, except try and stop her from entering the Towers."

"And if you couldn't?"

"Then I wouldn't change a thing. I have no regrets over that."

"And what about Randi? What if we get hit again and Randi dies?"

"We don't know what will happen," he protested.

"Exactly. We don't. None of us saw 9-11 coming, Mac, no one. All we can do is live one day at a time and cherish those special moments as they come because we know they may never come again. Randi's special. She's a good person with a kind heart and I know she cares about you." She looked at him and asked, "You want my advice?"

"Always appreciated."

"Grab Randi and hold on to her. Don't let her go and cherish every moment you have with her. Don't look at the Iffies and Maybies and Whatifs because they can take you down a dark, lonely road. Look at the here-and-now. Look towards the future with hope, not with fear, and look towards it with Randi."

Mac nodded, thinking hard. As he left the room, Flack and Danny joined Stella.

"What's with the boss?" Danny asked, noting the preoccupied look on Mac's face.

"He's head-over-heals for a certain antiques appraiser and is afraid of being hurt again," Stella said.

"What did you tell him?" Danny asked.

"To grab Randi and hold on to her and to take one day at a time," Stella replied.

"Who wants to place bets on how long it takes before we're attending their wedding?" Flack quipped, grinning.


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N: Enjoy!_

**Chapter 34**

Spring was finally starting to approach the city. The weather was getting warmer and the snow was melting. Aside from the warmer temperatures, which were always appreciated, the city was also starting to get a bit muddy.

Mac grinned at Flack as he came towards them, cussing. A passing car had just splashed him and now his over-coat was splattered with mud.

"I just had this cleaned!" he protested.

"Well now you get to have it cleaned all over again," Mac said easily.

"Har har."

"What do we have?" Mac asked as Lindsey joined him.

"Neighbors heard the couple who lives here fighting, and when cops investigated, they found the wife in a messy heap in the kitchen. Paramedics pronounced on site," Flack said.

"And the husband?"

"No where in sight. We're looking for him for questioning."

"Was this the first time you guys have been called to this address because of a domestic dispute?" Lindsey asked.

"At least three times prior," Flack said, checking his notes. "Hubby had a nasty habit of getting drunk and then using his fists on his wife, but she always took him back."

"Guess she won't be taking him back this time, not unless she can do that from beyond the grave," Mac said.

As Mac and Lindsey processed the scene, they talked quietly.

"How are you and Danny making out these days?" he asked, watching as Lindsey blushed.

"We're doing good. I'm trying to keep it discreet but Danny can be very affectionate," she admitted. "Not that that's a bad thing."

"I've known Danny for a long time and I've never seen him quite like this before," he said, grinning. "Speaking from personal experience though, be careful and as much as possible try and keep your work and personal life separate when you're working on a crime scene together."

She nodded. "What about you and Randi? Rumor has it you've been crashing at her place a lot these days."

He chuckled. "The rumors are true. Randi's place is a bit closer to work than my apartment and I like Fabio; he's good company."

"Are you sure it's not just her dog that's the attraction?" she asked, grinning.

He was about to reply when a faint _thump_ made him freeze. "You hear that?" he asked quietly. "Sounded like it came from upstairs."

"I thought this place was cleared," she hissed.

"So did I. Go get Flack," he said, taking off his gloves and reaching for his gun and unsnapping it. Lindsey quietly and quickly bolted for it.

Flack met him at the foot of the stairs, gun out, and they cautiously moved up the short flight of stairs, ready, with another cop right behind them.

"Was this checked?" Flack asked referring to a closed closet located near the top of the stairs.

"Should have been, sir. I think my partner checked it and said it was stuck or something," the officer said.

Mac noticed the shadow on the floor and silently indicated it to Flack. Flack nodded and they moved to either side of it. The officer positioned himself to open the door and on Flack's signal, he was about to yank the door open when it was slammed open, catching the officer in the face.

A scruffy-looking man in jeans and a wife-beater's shirt burst from the closet and tried to use the advantage of surprise but both Mac and Flack quickly grabbed him. Unfortunately, alcohol, fear, and adrenaline are a pretty bad combination and that was what the man was loaded with. The officers had a hell of a fight on their hands and that fight was also located near the stairs. The third officer quickly recovered from the facial blow by the door and joined in the scuffle, doing his best to help.

Mac saw Lindsey rushing up the stairs to join them and in that split second the man's elbow caught him square in the face, sending him reeling backwards.

He stumbled, trying to regain his balance as well as his senses.

And then his feet found only air.

He felt himself slam in to Lindsey, who had been halfway up the flight of stairs and they went tumbling.

And then pain exploded in his head again and the darkness came.


	35. Chapter 35

_A/N: this is the final chapter in this series. I am going to be finishing up another story, "CSI: Nick and the Lady" and then I will be introducing "CSI: NY Of Shadow and Light" and I think you will all enjoy it. In the mean time, thank you all for the kind reviews and I'm glad you enjoyed this series. I can and will promise a one-shot story that will take place after Mac and Randi's wedding, when they go on honeymoon in Miami and leave Fabio in the care of Lindsey and Danny and when that happens, mayhem ensues. Watch for it as it promises to be rib-busting good._

**Chapter 35**

Mac's in hospital, Randi. He took a nasty fall down a flight of stairs while fighting with a suspect and was found unconscious at the bottom. The only thing that saved him from what could have been a deadly situation was that his fall was partially blocked by Lindsey.

Stella's words echoed through her mind as Randi anxiously tapped her foot on the floor of the cab. She was racing towards St. Luke's Hospital, where she'd been told Mac had been taken to.

She had been at work, talking with the owner of an antiques store, who was hoping to do some appraisal work with her for a fair deal when Candy had taken the call. Normally Candy wouldn't have interrupted Randi but even she knew there were a few exceptions and this phone call had been one of them.

Randi had foisted the rest of the meeting off on Angel, who had smiled sympathetically and promptly started charming the store owner, as she had bolted out the door, grabbing the nearest available cab, only just remembering to grab her purse and jacket.

Now traffic was being a pain in the ass and moving way too slowly for her liking. The trip itself took about fifteen minutes longer than she'd thought was necessary but she was too impatient to quibble with the driver. She simply paid him and bolted for the entrance of the hospital.

At the Emergency Room Reception, she spoke to the nurse.

"I'm looking for Detective Mac Taylor. I was told he was brought here," she said.

"What's your relation to him?" the nurse asked, checking her screen.

"I'm his girlfriend," she said.

"In that case, you'll have to talk to that officer," the nurse said, pointing towards the officer who was standing near the entrance to the various cubicles.

To Randi's experienced eye, the officer looked like a bit of a greenhorn as she approached him, taking care to open her Union coat. He raised an eyebrow at her, which was understandable, considering what she was wearing.

She'd felt like going Asian today and had chosen to wear a bright rainbow-colored Ao Dai, which was a traditional Vietnamese woman's dress. It was split up the sides to about her midriff and underneath she wore snug low-rise white dress slacks that flashed a bit of skin whenever she moved. She also wore red leather ankle boots and had her hair done up in a twist and decorated with pretty fake roses and hair sticks. Gold was the choice color of her jewelry.

"I'm here to see Detective Mac Taylor," she said.

"Relation?" the officer asked.

"I'm his girlfriend."

The officer snorted. "Yeah right. Like I haven't heard that before. Lady, go wait in the waiting room like everyone else. If you're really his girlfriend, he'll ask for you."

"Did you know you're cute?" she asked sweetly. "Bet you didn't know you were stupid as well. And I guess your mama didn't teach you any manners." She glared as he flushed. "My name is Randi Wilcox and I am Detective Taylor's girlfriend. I just got a phone call from Detective Stella Bonasera informing me that he had taken a fall down a flight of stairs and had been taken here." She smiled sweetly. "Now, you have a choice. You can either kindly tell me where Mac is or, if you don't know, then direct me to someone who does. And if you can't do either, then tell me where Stella is or, if you can't even manage that, then get the hell out of my way, boy."

"Randi," came a gruff male voice. An elderly cop joined them.

"Sergeant Pete Belross, such a pleasure to see you again," Randi said, smiling sweetly at the man.

"So the rumors are true; you and Taylor are seeing each other," the officer said, smiling back.

"Would Stella have called me otherwise?"

"Good point. Tell you what; you don't crucify this fellow here and I'll take you to Taylor."

"I can live with that." And with an icy smile at the younger officer, she followed the senior officer down the hall.

"Stella said Mac fell down a flight of stairs. How the hell did that happen?" she asked as they walked.

"Thought we'd cleared a crime scene but it turned out that the suspect was hiding in a closet we thought was simply stuck. It just happened to be at the top of a short flight of stairs. He and Flack and another officer went after the suspect but Taylor wound up catching an elbow in the face and lost his balance."

"Stella also mentioned Lindsey Monroe had stopped the fall from being a lot worse than what it could have been."

"That's right. She was halfway up the stairs when he fell. She wasn't able to stop him from falling all the way down as he did crack his head pretty good but she was able to stop him from breaking his neck."

"Thank God for her."

"Indeed. They're keeping Taylor over-night for observation but aside from a hell of a headache, he should be okay."

"And Lindsey?"

"She's got Messer fussing over her but aside from some nasty bruises she'll be okay."

They arrived at Mac's room and Randi cautiously stuck her head in. He lay in the hospital bed, wearing a gown and hooked up to an i.v. Randi winced at the nasty bruise that was forming on his head and entered the room. He looked like he was sleeping and she removed her coat, pulling up the chair the chair that was beside the bed and sitting down beside him.

He stirred and turned to look at her. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," she said, reaching for his hand, which he gripped tightly. "Hear you had an argument with a flight of stairs and lost."

He chuckled. "Something like that. How's Lindsey, do you know?"

"She's doing okay. Danny's apparently fussing over her and she's going to have some nasty bruises but she saved you from taking a far worse fall. Be nice to her for a while, huh?"

He chuckled again.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Head hurts like hell and so does the bridge of my nose."

"Understandable. Belross says you caught an elbow to the face which caused you to go tumbling."

"Ouch."

"Do me a favor, huh?"

"If I can."

"If you're going to scare me like that again, at least give me some kind of warning so I can take a cup of tea to prep my nerves beforehand."

He chuckled. Then he tugged her on to the bed. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do," he said as he settled her down beside him. "Once I get out of here, I am going to take you home and make love to you until the sun explodes and if we make a few babies along the way, so much more the better."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Are you serious?"

"Never been more serious in my life."

She smiled warmly. "In that case, that sounds good to me." And she laid her head down beside his. Within moments, both of them were sound asleep.

A few hours later, Stella stuck her head in the room, along with Flack, who grinned at the pair sleeping soundly, Mac's arm tightly around Randi's shoulders.

"I hear wedding bells," Flack quipped quietly.

"Think we should let the nurses know not to disturb 'em for a while?" Stella asked, even as Flack took out his phone and quickly snapped a picture of the sleeping couple. Perfect blackmail material.

"Nah, I'm sure they'll figure it out themselves. Let 'em sleep. Besides, they look so cute together."

And Stella and Flack quietly closed the door, letting the odd pair sleep on.


End file.
